I recently made
Cajun red beans and rice
and it was the first time that I had had andouille sausage and I was quite taken by it and anxious to use it again. Given the chilly weather I was thinking that a soup would be just the ticket and I since I had also been contemplating doing a split pea soup, I decided that I would combine the two and do a Creole style split pea soup with andouille sausage. Split pea soup has to be one of my favourite winter soups and I really like the way the split peas break down and naturally thicken the soup and make it nice and creamy. Given that it takes a few hours for the peas to fully cook, you have a good long simmer on your hands which is just perfect for adding a smoky ham hock to imbue the soup with a ton of flavour.
For this soup I started with a base of onions, celery, green pepper, garlic and homemade
chicken stock
. To that I added some Creole style seasonings including paprika, cayenne pepper, oregano and thyme in addition to the andouille sausage. With that, all that was left was to sit back and let the soup simmer to perfection. I have to say that this is one tasty soup and all of the flavours work really well together! As tasty as this soup was on day one, this is one of those soups that only gets better with time so I am looking forward to enjoying the leftovers for lunches this week! This is the second dish that I have tried with andouille sausage and I was instantly hooked to both of them. I am looking forward to working with andouille sausage again.
Creole Split Pea Soup
ingredients
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1/2 pound andouille sausage (cut into small pieces)
- 1 cup onion (diced)
- 1/2 cup celery (diced)
- 1/2 cup green pepper (diced)
- 4 cloves garlic (chopped)
- 6 cups ham broth or chicken broth or chicken stock
- 1 1/2 cups yellow split peas
- 1 ham hock
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- salt and pepper to taste
directions
- Heat the oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat, add the sausage and saute until lightly golden brown, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the onions, celery and green pepper to the pan and cook until tender, about 7-10 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add the stock, split peas, ham hock, paprika, cayenne, oregano, thyme, bay leaves, salt and pepper and bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer covered until the peas are soft and tender, about 1-3 hours.
- Remove the ham hock, pull the meat from it, cut it into bite sized pieces and add it back to the pot if desired.
Slow Cooker: Implement step 1, optionally implement steps 2 & 3, place everything in the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-10 hours or high for 2-4 hours.
There is nothing better than some good andouille sausage! This soup looks like a good marriage between cajun fare and traditional split pea soup! Yum.
This sounds incredible. I love the flavors you've added and you certainly can't go wrong with andoille!
Andouille sausage is so delicious. This soup looks awesome!
I have no doubts my husband would just love this!
This looks like a delicious split pea soup, Kevin. I like the creole spices in it. 🙂
I've never tried anything like this before but it looks delicious!
Beautiful soup! Great for Mardi Gras week!
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http://www.fullclosetbutnothingtowear.blogspot.com
kisses!
What a marvelous and flavorful soup! I am a big fan of legumes.
Cheers,
Rosa
I love this soup, lovely falvors.
This is such a nice play on the traditional split pea! A great oomph of flavor in there.
Seeing as how it is SNOWING again here in Norhtern Wisconsin, this soup looks right up my alley!!
anne
http://www.anniebakes.net
Kevin This is a really yummy soup! gloria
Perfect timing for Mardi Gras! I just made jambalaya for the first time, but was disappointed I couldn't find andouille sausage.
Split pea was always a favorite of mine growing up. Love the addition of andouille sausage and the trinity to your dish. I bet it is fantastic!
i love any creole/cajun recipe, this looks like an amazing twist to a split pea soup… looks super delish
I just finished making Red Beans and Rice with andouille and yellow split pea is one of my favorites. I can't wait to try try this variation. Thank you!
I have a big bag of yellow split peas that I'm trying to find uses for – this will definetly be one of them Love andouille, looks great!
love split pea soup, have never used the yellow as they are hard to find, but will look harder now. Also, andouille is virtually impossible to find in W. Central FL and will probably have to use smoked sausage. We haven't been able to visit family in N'awlins for awhile, but always bring home some when we do. Thank you for your creativity.