Split Pea Soup
Split pea soup is easy and, thankfully, all of my kids enjoy it. They are so funny sometimes–they’ve been bugging me to make it every time they open the pantry and see a bag of peas sitting there. I don’t always have the smoked sausage that I added today, so I will use liquid smoke. It’s a great way to make the kids think you’ve added meat to a dish. 
If you are using the liquid smoke instead of smoked sausage, you will want to add it carefully as a little bit goes a long ways and also add additional salt.
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 carrot, large, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 TB bacon grease (you can sub EVOO for it but the bacon grease adds flavor)
- 1/2 package gluten free smoked sausage
- 1 lb. split peas, sorted and rinsed
- 7 cups water
- 1 TB chicken base, gluten free
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- salt to taste
Saute onions, carrots, and garlic in bacon grease until the onion is tender. Stir in the smoked sausage and continue cooking for a few more minutes. Add in the split peas, the water, and the chicken base. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and add in the pepper and salt as necessary. Simmer over medium low heat for 30-45 minutes or until the peas are tender. You may need to add additional water to the soup.
