Swedish Yellow Split Pea Soup and Red Lentil Soup

Thanks for keeping this little blog going. It's fun to see what yummy things you all are eating! Here are two of our favorites. They are super cheap, easy and healthy!

Swedish Yellow Split Pea Soup

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

50 mins

Total time

1 hour

Yellow pea soup is traditionally served every Thursday night in Sweden. If you’ve ever wondered why bags of yellow split peas are sold at IKEA, that’s why!

Recipe by:: Camilla

Recipe type: Soup

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 1-1/2 cups chopped carrots
• ¼ tsp fine sea salt
• ¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
• 1-1/3 cups dried yellow split peas, rinsed
• 6 cups reduced-sodium ready-to-use vegetable or chicken broth
• ¾ cup water
• ¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley or dill, divided

Instructions

1. In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onions, carrots, salt and pepper; cook, stirring, for 6 to 8 minutes or until vegetables are softened.
2. Stir in peas and broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 35 to 40 minutes or until peas are very tender.
3. Transfer 1 cup of the soup solids to food processor. Add water and purée until smooth. Return purée to pan and stir in half the parsley or dill. Simmer, stirring often, for 5 minutes to blend the flavors, thinning soup with water if too thick. Serve sprinkled with the remaining parsley or dill.

*Sometimes we use celery in place of carrots and it turns out great. I don't always puree the soup either, it makes a mess, so I just use a potato masher in the pan and it works great.

Notes

Tip
* An equal amount of dried yellow lentils or green split peas may be used in place of the yellow split peas.
Storage Tip
* Store the cooled soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or in the microwave using the Defrost function. Warm soup in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat.

RED LENTIL SOUP

1 cup red lentils

1/4 cup rice

6 cups chicken broth

2 Tbsp. oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1/8 tsp. red pepper

1 small onion, chopped

Bring 6 cups of broth to boil and add lentils, onion, rice and seasonings. Simmer for one hour. Fry small onion in oil and pour over soup just before serving. Serve hot. 

*I haven't actually done that fried onion part. We also like to add some fresh parmesan cheese on top! Enjoy

Zucchinni Linguini

Zucchini Linguini
This is a quick and easy dish I made up while trying to think of something good to make with our zuchinni and yellow squash.  There are other dishes out there with this name, but this is something that I came up with on my own, and our family loves it.

(This is not my picture by the way, but my dish looks just like this) 
Ingredients:
2-3 Tbspns of olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
3-4 tspns Italian seasoning (We like Mrs. Dash's Italian blend)
1 medium fresh zucchini sliced
1 medium fresh yellow squash sliced
1 can rotel diced tomatoes and green chilis: Mild
4 oz. cream cheese softened (you may leave this out to lighten the recipe)
1 pkg of Linguini noodles
1 tsp salt (may need more depending on your taste)
Parmesan cheese to taste
     
1. Cook the linguini according to package directions while cooking the rest of the dish.
2. Heat the olive oil, garlic, and Italian seasoning in a large skillet. Add the rotel tomatoes, zucchini and yellow squash, and saute about 5-7 minutes.
3. Blend in the cream cheese with the oil and vegetables until sauce is smooth and creamy. Let simmer on medium low about 5 minutes or until vegetables are just cooked. (Soft, but not wilted, with still a slight firmness to their bite)
4. Drain the cooked linguini noodles and combine with the vegetables and sauce.
5. Serve with parmesan cheese if desired.