This easy Canadian yellow pea soup is a hearty dish featuring yellow split peas, simmered with carrots, smoked bacon and aromatic thyme.
Recipe Intro
- Origins: Canadian Yellow Split Pea Soup, known as Soupe aux Pois Jaunes in Quebec, dates back to the 17th century when French settlers brought dried peas to New France. It became a staple due to its simple ingredients, long shelf life, and hearty nature, making it ideal for cold winters.
- Traditionally, smoked ham hock is cooked separately, with the meat shredded and added to the soup before serving. The broth from cooking the ham hock is often used to deepen the soup’s flavour. However, some versions simmer the ham hock directly with the peas, allowing it to infuse the soup as it cooks.
Over time, regional variations emerged, with some versions incorporating dumplings (Newfoundland) or additional root vegetables for extra richness.
This recipe:
For a quicker version, I replaced the traditional ham hock with smoked bacon, which adds the same smokiness and rich flavour while reducing the cooking time. This makes the soup as hearty and satisfying but faster to prepare.
Quick and easy Canadian yellow pea soup ingredients
- yellow peas – Yellow split peas are dried peas, not to be confused with fresh or standard green peas, which have a different texture and flavour.
- bacon – Use pancetta cubetti or salty and cured bacon
- carrots – Carrots add natural sweetness and nutritional value to the dish. For a variation, you can substitute or combine them with parsnips or sweet potatoes for a slightly different flavour and texture.
- onion, garlic – Use fresh.
- butter – Use unsalted butter.
- herbs – Use bay leaf and thyme
- celery – You can use both stalk and leaves
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How to make Canadian yellow pea soup with bacon
- Rinse yellow split peas under cold water and drain. No soaking is required.
- Finely chop onion, carrots, and celery. Mince garlic.
- Cut the bacon into small pieces if not pre-cut.
- In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the bacon and onions and cook until golden and slightly crispy. Stir in garlic and cook for another 30 seconds, just until fragrant.
- Add yellow peas, carrots, and celery and pour in broth or water. Season with salt and pepper and add bay leaves and thyme. Simmer gently for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. The beans will swell as they cook, add extra water if needed.
- Once cooked, remove the bay leaves. Transfer half of the soup to a blender, blend until smooth, and return it to the pot. Stir well to combine. Alternatively, use an immersion blender.
If you prefer a thinner consistency, add more water or broth.
Serving
- Serve with extra crispy fried bacon pieces and chopped spring onion.
- I served mine with delicious Garlic Fingers, a popular Canadian snack featuring soft, cheesy garlic bread perfect for dipping into the soup. I will post the Garlic fingers recipe soon, check back in a few days!
Recipe Card
Canadian yellow pea and carrot soup
A quick and hearty Canadian yellow split pea soup with smoky bacon, carrots, and thyme, perfect for a comforting meal.
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried yellow split peas
- 1/2 cup smoked bacon pieces
- 1 onion - medium size
- 2 carrots - medium size
- 1/2 celery stalk
- 2 tsp thyme
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 l water or broth - or stock cube + water
- 25 g unsalted butter
- salt, black pepper - to taste
- spring onion - for garnish
Instructions
- Rinse yellow split peas; chop onion, carrots, celery, and mince garlic. Cut bacon if not pre-cut.
- In a pot, melt butter, fry bacon and onions until golden, then add garlic and fry for 30 seconds. Add water or broth.
- Add peas, carrots, celery, salt, pepper, bay leaves, and thyme. Simmer for 45 minutes, adding water if needed.
- Remove bay leaves, transfer half of the soup to a blender and whizz until smooth. Add back to the pot and stir well.
- Adjust consistency with more water or broth if needed.
Notes
The total calorie count for this soup is approximately 1,226 kcal, but this may vary depending on the specific products used. When divided into 3 servings, each portion would be around 408 kcal.