The red, yellow and green colors in this Yellow Split Pea Roasted Pepper Basil Soup is so gorgeous. The flavors are phenomenal with the roasted peppers, basil and pecorino cheese. Seriously, guys, it’s delicious! Serve it with your favorite crusty bread!
Robby and I had a great time this weekend. Our friends Beto, Jill, Paloma and baby Severin stayed over Saturday night. Erin, Leif and Taj came over to join us all for a taco dinner. Erin made an incredibly delicious chocolate basil tart with a grapefruit jam to go on top. It was a fun night full of food, wine, laughter and nonstop talking as it always is with this group.
On Sunday, we had a beach picnic, which is always a great time with Paloma! Paloma insisted on becoming a mermaid, so Beto made her a mermaid tail out of the sand while Robby made a barricade of seaweed so Paloma wouldn’t get washed away. They decorated it with seaweed, shells and sand crab shells. She loved it!
I was just on Thalia’s blog “Butter and Brioche” (if you haven’t been to her blog, check it out!) and she just posted an incredible Tiramisu ice cream dessert. I thought it was ironic because she is posting a cold ice cream dessert in the middle of the Australian winter while I’m posting a hot soup recipe in the middle of summer in California. It just goes to show that you can eat whatever you want regardless of the weather!
This soup is perfect with a nice cold glass of Verdejo! Or a crisp white wine of your choice.
Yellow Split Pea Roasted Pepper Basil Soup - CaliZona
Ingredients
- 1/2 White Onion – diced
- 2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 Cloves Garlic – minced
- 1/3 Cup Dry White Wine
- 2 Unsalted Vegetable Bouillon Cubes
- 10 Cups Filtered Water
- 2 Cups Dried Yellow Split Peas (can sub red lentils for a quicker cook time.)
- 2 Red Bell Peppers – roasted – de-seed – de-stemmed – diced
- 1 Yellow Bell Peppers – roasted – de-seed – de-stemmed – diced
- 1 Orange Bell Peppers – roasted – de-seed – de-stemmed – diced
- 1 Tablespoon Hot Paprika
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice - fresh squeezed
- 1 Cup Pecorino Romano Cheese - finely shredded - packed
- 1 Cup Fresh Basil - packed - minced
- 1/2 Cup Fresh or Frozen Corn
- 1 Tablespoon Sea Salt or to taste
- 1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper
Instructions
Peppers
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Roast the peppers on the stovetop on medium-high heat. A gas stove works the best but it works fine on an electric stove.
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Char the peppers on all sides turning with a pair of tongs.
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When good and charred, steam them for 10 minutes in a covered dish or a paper bag rolled shut to hold in the steam.
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Take a paper towel and rub off the char. It’s ok to leave a little of the char.
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Slice in half and remove the seeds and stems then dice them into small cubes.
Split Peas
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Measure and sort thru the peas to ensure that there are no rocks.
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Rinse them in a colander and set aside.
Soup
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Add the onions to a saute pan with olive oil and saute on medium-low heat for 5 minutes, add the garlic and continue cooking for 5 – 7 more minutes until the garlic starts to brown.
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Then add the white wine and bouillon cubes, mash the bouillon and cook until wine is reduced and syrupy.
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Add the filtered water and split peas to the onions.
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Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer for about 1 1/2 hours or until peas are super soft.
The rest
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When the peas are completely cooked, add the diced roasted peppers.
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Add the paprika, lemon juice, cheese, basil and corn to the soup.
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Or puree you can the soup and then add the peppers and corn.
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Garnish with basil.
Recipe Notes
I recommend buying yellow spilt peas in a packag. If the split peas are old, they can take a lot longer to cook. It is hard to tell how fresh they are especially if they are from the bulk section.
If your peas aren't getting soft after an hour and a half, you can try adding 1/4 teaspoon baking soda. You might need to add more water at the very end. Be careful not to add too much water. Add a little at a time in the end. Taste before adding more.
Health benefits:
Bell Peppers are matured green bell peppers and have more nutrition as they mature. They are super high in vitamin A which helps to support healthy eyesight, especially night vision and are extremely high in vitamin C, so much so they have twice as much as an orange which makes it really good for the skin. Red peppers are one of the highest veggies in lycopene, and have been successfully tested in the prevention of many cancers. They have a good source of the antioxidant mineral manganese and B-complex and vitamin E. They help reduces ‘bad’ cholesterol, helps controls diabetes and helps reduce pain. They are also a good source of fiber, folate, vitamin K, molybdenum and manganese.
Fresh Basil has anti-aging, anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties. The herb contains exceptionally high levels of beta-carotene and vitamin A and is rich in zeaxanthin an anti-oxidant that helps protect age-related macular disease. It has a good amount of Iron and also helps to detoxify the liver. It contains phytochemicals that may lower cortisol, a hormone secreted when you’re stressed that causes weight gain, so add some fresh basil to you water or tea.
