Pea and Poultry Soup

Who wants to cook a big meal in the days after Thanksgiving or Christmas? Not me, that’s for sure. Luckily this quick recipe can be made with left-over holiday turkey, rotisserie chicken, or cooked chicken breasts. The only real prep here is chopping an onion and some garlic. That’s it. You just toss everything into a slow cooker, turn it on, go for a brisk fall hike and come home to a delicious, hearty warm stew.

Makes: 6 servings

Preparation time: 10m
Cooking time: 10m
Total time: 1h10m

Ingredients:

  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 cipollini onion (diced)
  • 1 garlic clove (minced)
  • 6 cups water
  • 2 cups vegetable stock
  • 1 pound split peas
  • 1 pound frozen California vegetable mix (cauliflower, carrot, broccoli - no need to defrost first)
  • 2 cups cooked turkey or chicken (chopped)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • salt and pepper to taste

Equipment: stockpot or slow-cooker

Instructions:

  1. In a stock pot or slow-cooker heat the olive oil over medium to medium-high heat then add the diced onion. Sauté 3-5 minutes.
  2. Then add the garlic and sauté another 1-2 minutes.
  3. Reduce heat and add the rest of the ingredients.
  4. Stockpot: bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour.
  5. Slow cooker: high for 5-6 hours or low for 7-8 hours.
  6. The soup is ready when the split peas are soft.
  7. Enjoy warm and freeze the left-overs for later.