I had a huge bag of fresh spinach in the refrigerator that I needed to use today. I also had half of a butternut squash left over from last weekend’s chili. Along with half a bag of dried split peas and a few other veggies, this was a fantastic soup!
The bread is from a local bakery, it’s a typical German whole-grain bread. I love German bread, when they say “whole-grain”, they are not kidding…this bread is D E N S E! It is jam-packed with whole sunflower seeds and other grains, it is moist and chewy and it’s hard to eat more than one slice.
Split Pea, Spinach and Butternut Soup
1 tbls olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 leek sliced
1 stalk celery, chopped
2-3 large carrots, chopped
2 cups butternut or other squash, chopped
1 1/2 cups dried split peas, rinsed and drained
250-300gm fresh spinach leaves, washed well and chopped (approx. 1/2 lb)
8 cups water
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. basil
1 – 2 tsp. salt to taste (optional)
In a large soup pot, heat oil. Add onions and leek and saute for 5 minutes. Add cumin, thyme and basil, stir through. Add water, bay leaves, peas, and celery. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer with loose lid for 35-40 minutes, until peas are soft. Add squash and carrots, simmer for another 20 minutes or until squash and carrots are soft but not mushy. Add spinach and simmer for 5 more minutes. Add salt to taste (I used 1 1/2 tsp.)
