Instant Pot Butternut Squash And Split Pea Soup

Butternut Squash Soup with extra protein and fiber.

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What to do with all my Butternut Squash
You may have seen last week's post where I shared our magic dirt formula that contributed to us getting 60 butternut squash from a single seed! The obvious next thing to think about is what am I going to do with all this butternut squash?

Part of my harvest.

Today's recipe is a very simple soup that I make in my Instant Pot. Most of the time, I make a very light and brothy butternut squash soup - the kind you sip from a mug. But for a heartier meal, I like to thicken the soup with split peas. The split peas not only make the soup thicker, but they add a significant amount of protein and fiber. While the soup is fat free and very low in calories (less than 200 calories per bowl), it provides a healthy 10 grams of protein and 11 grams of fiber. 

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Butternut Squash and Split Pea Soup
Vegan, Dairy and Gluten Free
[makes 6 servings]

Requirements
Instant Pot Pressure Cooker
Potato Masher

Ingredients
1 cup split peas
1 small butternut squash (~1 1/2 pounds)
1 small onion, diced
1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
4 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
1 bay leaf
1 sprig of fresh thyme plus some for garnish
2 tablespoons fresh lemon or lime juice

Directions
Pick through the split peas and remove any rocks or clumps of dirt. Rinse well and drain. Place in the Instant Pot.

Peel, cut, remove the seeds, and dice the butternut squash. Read my post on an easy way to cut a butternut squash. Place the diced squash, onion, garlic, broth, salt, pepper, bay leaf, and thyme in the Instant Pot.

Press the MANUAL button and set for 12 minutes under high pressure. Make sure the quick release switch in the closed position. When done, press the OFF button and let the pressure release naturally. When complete, open the cover and tilt so that the steam comes out the back and away from your face. 

Add the lemon juice and gently mash the soup with a potato masher to break up the large chunks of squash. But don't be too aggressive since you still want small chunks of squash in the soup.

Mash but leave chunks of squash.

Pour into individual bowls, top with some fresh thyme and serve. 

Nutrition
Per serving: 185 calories, 0 g total and saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 58 mg omega-3 and 157 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 10 g protein, 35 g carbohydrates, 11 g dietary fiber, and 398 mg sodium.

Easy Vegan Instant Pot Split Pea Soup With Shredded Carrots - No Blending Required

Split pea soup has never been easier using an Instant Pot.

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So Easy in an Instant Pot
Split pea soup is my "go-to" meal in the winter. It's hardy and delicious and a great source of fiber and plant-based protein. At less than 300 calories per generous serving, this recipe has a whopping 21 grams of dietary fiber and 19 grams of protein.

There are many ways to make split pea soup. Traditionally you cook it until the peas start to break apart and then you place it in a blender or use an immersion blender to get a nice smooth soup. Or you serve as is in a more rustic version of the recipe. Both are excellent but require a lot of stirring and, should you decide to blend, the trouble of doing another step and having to clean up more tools. (If you don't have an Instant Pot, see my Vegan Split Pea Soup and Carrots recipe that requires a blender.)

But to my delight, I've created a way to make this awesome soup with absolutely no trouble at all. Just pop all the ingredients in an Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker, set for 12 minutes, and your have a pretty smooth soup without any stirring or blending. Including the  heat-up time and a slow release time, it takes a total of about 1 hour with absolutely NO effort at all. After it cooks, I stir some shredded carrots into the hot broth and they cook almost instantly.

Here's the recipe!

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Instant Pot Split Pea Soup
Vegan, Dairy Free, Gluten Free
[makes 6 servings]

Requires an Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker

Ingredients
1 pound (~2 cups) dry split peas
8 cups hot water
1 Rapunzel vegetable bouillon cube with herbs
1 onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, diced
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Salt to taste
1 bay leaf
2 carrots, peeled and coarsely shredded
1 or 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (optional)

Directions
Pick through the split peas for small rocks or dirt and rinse well, in a strainer, under cold water.

Place the rinsed split peas in the Instant Pot along with all the rest of the ingredients except the carrots and lemon juice. Stir a bit to get the bouillon cube mixed into the hot water. 

I like to use water and a Rapunzel bouillon cube because it gives a nice flavor and usually provides enough salt but you can substitute the water and bouillon with veggie broth.

As a note, the olive oil is added to keep the peas from frothing and clogging up the pressure cooker. 

Place all ingredients in the pot except carrots.

Secure the lid and make sure the top vent is closed. Hit the manual button and set for 12 minutes.

When done, let the pressure release naturally. When complete, remove the lid carefully, with the steam pointed towards the back.

Add the shredded carrots immediately and stir well until the soup is smooth. It may seem a bit thin but this soup thickens as it cools. Adjust for seasonings, adding salt to taste and additional black pepper if needed. To brighten the taste, you can also stir in a tablespoon or two of freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Do not shred the carrots too thinly.

The shredded carrots will cook immediately in the hot soup.

Serve as is or over rice.

When you put the leftover soup in the refrigerator it will become solid. To reheat, you may need to add additional water. 

Nutrition
(Per serving - 6) 291 calories, 2 g total fat, 0.7 g saturated fat, 70 mg omega-3 and 427 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 0 mg cholesterol, 19 g protein, 50 g carbohydrates, 21 g dietary fiber, and 379 mg sodium.

Vegan Split Pea Soup with Carrots

The Weather is Changing

We had a terrible storm this week here in northern California. It certainly wasn't as bad as some of the snow storms I've seen on TV in the mid-west. But no matter where you are at this time of year, the change of weather makes you think of hot soup. Split pea soup is one of my favorites. You can find my recipe for Raw Vegan Split Pea Soup on my May 12th, 2009 post. But when the cold weather hits, I eat more cooked food so I offer you a healthy recipe for this popular winter soup - one without a fatty ham hock!

Split Peas - Why They Are Good For You

Split peas are green peas that were picked at the peak of their goodness and dried. Rich in fiber, split peas can help reduce cholesterol and balance your blood sugar. This makes them an excellent food for those with diabetes or hypoglycemia. Only 1½ cups of cooked split peas provides 100% of your daily fiber requirements. Besides fiber, they are an excellent source of molybdenum, needed by the body to produce sulfite oxidase, an enzyme that detoxifies sulfites. If you have a bad reaction to sulfites, you may be deficient in molybdenum. Split peas are also rich in manganese, folate, vitamin B1 (thiamin), potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, copper, iron and zinc. A one pound bag of split peas cost a little over $1 so this recipe is not only very nutritious, but you can feed your whole family this healthy, filling soup for just a few dollars.

One cup of cooked split peas contain:

Calories - 231.3

Fiber - 16.3 g, (65% DV*)

Protein - 16.3 g, (33% DV)

Fat - 1 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat and 0 g cholesterol

Carbohydrates - 41 g, (14% DV)

Thiamin - 0.4 mg, (25% DV)

Folate - 127 mcg, (32% DV)

Pantothenic acid - 1.2 mg, (12% DV)

Iron - 2.5 mg, (14% DV)

Magnesium - 70.6 mg, (18% DV)

Molybdenum - 147 mcg, (196% DV)

Phosphorus - 194 mg, (19% DV)

Potassium - 710 mg, (20% DV)

Zinc - 2.0 mg, (13% DV)

Copper - 0.4 mg, (18% DV)

Manganese - 0.8 mg, (39%)

*Daily Values, DV, based on a 2,000 calorie diet

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Vegan Split Pea Soup with Carrots [serves 6]

1 pound split peas

2 cups onions, chopped

1 1/2 cups celery, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

8 cups filtered water or more if needed

1 bay leaf

1 cup new potatoes with skins, diced small

4 medium carrots, peeled and thinly sliced

fresh ground pepper for topping

Sort though peas and remove small stones and clumps of dirt. Rinse well. In a 5 1/2 quart Dutch oven or soup pot, combine split peas, onions, celery, garlic, salt, cumin, coriander, black pepper, water and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook, partially covered, for 30 minutes or until peas are soft, stirring occasionally. Add potatoes and cook another 30 minutes or until the potatoes are soft, stirring more frequently. Add more water any time during cooking if needed. Remove the bay leaf and put soup in a blender and process until smooth. This may take 2 batches depending on the size of your blender. Make sure the top of the blender is firmly in place and the speed setting in initially on low (unless you want green peas on your ceiling). Return soup to the pot, add carrots and simmer, partially covered, until the carrots are soft, around 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Adjust salt if needed, serve and top with freshly ground pepper if desired.

Per serving: 321.8 calories, 0.8 g fat, 0.2 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 20.8 g protein, 60.8 g carbohydrates and 22.8 g of fiber.

Raw Vegan Split Pea Soup

Day 12 of our “One Month Raw Food Cleanse”
Raw soups are easy to whip up and are very filling. For creamy soups, I recommend getting a high speed blender like a Vita Mix.

My favorite cooked winter soup is split pea so when I was thinking about making a raw soup today, I experimented with pretty much the same ingredients I use when I cook this soup. Instead of dry peas, use fresh or frozen ones. Peas are a good source of protein, niacin, folate, iron and phosphorus. They are a very good source of manganese and vitamins A, C, K and thiamin. This recipe also packs 8 grams of fiber per bowl. I must say, this soup is as good as or better than the cooked version. It’s fresh and light yet very satisfying. I hope you try it!

I generally use carrots to complement split pea soup, but I decided to use corn in the raw version to get a complete protein since the peas alone lack the two amino acids, methionine and cystine. Methionine was one of the amino acids that I found to be difficult to get sufficient quantities of when on a complete raw food diet. Brazil nuts are another good source of methionine so make sure you are popping a brazil nut in your smoothie in the morning to get this important amino acid as well as your daily requirement of selenium.

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Raw Vegan Split Pea Soup [serves 2]
2 cups fresh or frozen petite peas (if frozen, thaw before using)
1 cup chopped celery
2 tablespoons chopped onion
2 small cloves garlic
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup filtered water
1 teaspoon sea salt, more or less to taste
Dash of cayenne pepper
Kernels from one medium ear of corn
1 tablespoon of fresh parsley or cilantro, chopped

Place peas, celery, onion, garlic, oil, lemon juice, cumin, water, salt and cayenne in a Vita Mix blender and process until smooth. Place half of the corn in each of two bowls leaving a few tablespoons for garnish. Pour half of the blended soup in each bowl. With a spoon, mix the blended soup with the corn. Top each bowl with the extra corn and either fresh parsley or cilantro.

Per serving: 214 calories, 7.5 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 8 g protein, 28 g carbohydrates and 8 g of fiber.

Menu for Day 12
For breakfast, I had a fruit smoothie with pineapple, banana, frozen grapes, soaked almonds and a few brazil nuts. Lunch will be a bowl of the featured, “raw vegan split pea soup” and for dinner I’ll have a big kale salad. I might make some more marinated mushrooms if I get to the store today. I have some fresh strawberries which I will eat for dessert with a raw dessert topping which I need to share with you soon.