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Yellow Split Pea Soup with Chicken Meatballs

This green pea soup uses ground chicken in meatballs instead of saltier processed meats like bacon or ham. The sesame oil adds a smokey flavour. Start early as it needs to simmer for a long time.
Serves: 10
Prep Time: 30 min
Cook Time: 6 hours

Ingredients

8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup yellow peas, split, dry
1 cup onions, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups carrots, peeled, diced
1 cup celery, sliced
2 potatoes, with skin, diced
1 tsp sesame oil, smoked
½ tsp thyme, dried
½ tsp oregano, dried
¼ tsp dry mustard
or
¼ tsp Dijon mustard
or
¼ tsp mustard, prepared
2 slices whole wheat bread
1 lb extra lean ground chicken
1 egg, medium
¼ tsp black pepper
1 tsp onion powder
2 garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
½ cup parsley, fresh, minced

Food Safety

Before you start, wash all surfaces and your hands with soap and warm water, and remember to wash your hands, utensils and cutting boards after they touch raw meat or eggs. Avoid cross-contamination by using a different cutting board for your meat and other ingredients. Make sure you’re cooking to safe temperatures and chilling any leftovers within two hours. For more food safety tips, visit our Food Safety at Home Section.

Steps

  1. Add chicken broth, dry yellow peas, onion, 3 cloves of minced garlic, carrots, celery and potato, sesame oil, thyme, oregano and dry mustard to crock of slow cooker. Do not add the salt at this step as it slows down the cooking of the dried peas.

  2. Cover and cook on HIGH for 5-6 hours (LOW 10-12 hours) or until peas are tender and disintegrating. Puree half of the soup using a hand held (immersion) blender or put half the soup in a regular blender and puree, returning pureed soup to crockpot.

  3. Make the meatballs near the end of the cooking time for the peas and vegetables. Tear bread into tiny pieces by hand. Mix with ground chicken, an egg, black pepper, onion powder and remaining minced garlic in a bowl. Form into half ounce (1 Tbsp/15 mL) size meatballs. A one-quarter cup (60 mL) measure can be cut into four pieces and then formed into balls by hand. If the meatballs are ready before the peas have cooked you should store in the refrigerator.

  4. Add meatballs to the slow cooker and stir gently. Cover and cook an additional 1 hour on HIGH setting (2 hours on LOW setting) until meatballs are cooked through.

  5. Stir in salt, vinegar and minced fresh parsley.

  6. To serve, ladle hot soup into bowls dividing the meatballs amongst them.

Nutrition Info

Per 350 g serving Amount
Calories260
Protein19 g
Fat9 g
Saturated Fat1 g
Carbohydrate27 g
Fibre3 g
Sugar5 g
Cholesterol50 mg
Sodium380 mg
Per 350 g serving % Daily Value
Potassium19
Calcium6
Iron15
Vitamin A90
Vitamin C20
Vitamin B614
Vitamin B1212
Folate35
Zinc13