Smashed Pea and Barley Soup

Not every vegan recipe needs to use fancy ingredients, soy meat, or unusual substitutes. Sometimes you just want a nice vegetable stew, and with this recipe you can have one! Split peas, barley, spices, veggies, and broth are gently simmered to yield a soup with a complex flavor that's creamy enough to be filling but isn't overly heavy. And the only even remotely non-standard ingredient is fake chicken broth -- everything else is just veggies and grains.

I actually first encountered this recipe because it's served at the restaurant chain California Pizza Kitchen, where it is (or was) the only vegan option. My family went there a lot when I was a kid, so I ended up getting this quite frequently but I loved it every time. Most of the credit goes to Top Secret Recipes for figuring out the basic ingredients to this dish. However, I iterated on it a bit more and got the flavor even closer to how I remember it, and I also gave it the Code Delicious treatment and put all the steps in the most optimal order.

Plus, while it does involve some waiting, this recipe is pretty simple: you pretty much just have to throw some stuff in two pots and let it sit for a while, then combine everything and throw in some veggies near the end. It's a great way to make a lot of food with not a whole lot of work!

Yield:

About 4 servings (500 Cal each)

Time:

About 1h 45min total, about 30-45 min active time

Ingredients:

Barley:

• 1/2 cup pearled barley
• 6 cups water

Pea Broth:

• 1 lb (~2 cups) dried split peas, rinsed
• 6 cups water
• 4 cups fake chicken broth
• 1/3 cup minced onion (1/4 large onion or 1/2 small onion, this doesn't need to be exact)
• 2 tsp lemon juice (~1/4 lemon)
• 1.5 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp dried parsley or 1 tsp loosely packed fresh parsley
• 1/4 tsp white pepper
• Just a pinch of dried thyme

Veggies:

• 1 cup diced carrots (2-3 medium carrots)
• 1/4 cup diced celery (about 1 small stalk)
• Fresh ground black pepper, ~15 grinds / 1/4 teaspoon

Directions:

1. Add the barley ingredients to a small pot and bring to a boil, then let it simmer until the barley is soft and most of the water has been absorbed, about 75 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, add the pea broth ingredients to a large pot and bring to a boil. Then, simmer for 50-70 minutes, until the split peas have mostly disintegrated. (tip: to save time, you can throw in the water and split peas and turn the heat up, then chop and add the other ingredients while the water and peas are heating)
3. Once the pea broth is done, transfer it to a blender and blend (working in batches if necessary). You want to get it pretty smooth, with little to no texture remaining. If you have an immersion blender, you can use it for this too.
4. Transfer the pea broth back to the pot and bring back to a simmer. Add the veggies in.
5. Once the barley is done, drain it into a colander and add it to the pot as well.
6. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15-30 min, until the carrots are tender.
7. Remove from heat and let the soup rest a bit (if you can resist!)
8. Enjoy! Top with some more ground pepper and/or some minced parsley if you like.