Submitted By Amy Sercel MS RD CD
Edited By Marcia Bristow MS RDN CSSD CD
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
2 tsp vegetable oil
1 cup onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 ½ tsp fresh ginger, finely chopped
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp curry powder
¼ tsp turmeric
¼ tsp ground coriander
¼ tsp cayenne
2 cups dried split yellow peas
1 ½ cups fresh spinach, shredded
½ tsp salt
Instructions:
1.
In a large soup pot, heat oil
over medium heat. Add onion and garlic
and cook until soft, 3-5 minutes.
2.
Add ginger, cumin, curry powder,
turmeric, coriander, and cayenne. Cook,
stirring, 1 minute to toast the spices.
3.
Add the split peas and 8 cups of
water. Bring to a boil over high
heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover,
and simmer until split peas are soft, about 45 minutes.
4.
Add spinach and salt. Cook until spinach wilts, about 1-2
minutes. Soup will thicken upon
standing. Add additional water to thin
as desired.
Yield: 8 servings
Nutrient
Facts:
203
calories, 12 g protein, 31 g carbohydrate, 4 g fat, 12 g fiber
37 mg
calcium, 581 mg potassium, 156 mg sodium, 2 mg iron, 59 mg magnesium
39 mcg
vitamin A, 5 mg vitamin C, 1 mg vitamin E, 45 mg vitamin K, 106 mcg folate
This recipe is quick, easy, and excellent for
a cold winter night! It is flavorful and
satisfying but low in calories and fat, making it a great option if you are
looking to keep your energy intake low. My
family found it delicious – everyone asked me for a copy of the recipe! I doubled the amount each spice, but you
could definitely use less if you prefer a milder meal. You could also consider personalizing the
soup by adding some cauliflower, bell peppers, mushrooms, winter squash, or
kale about halfway through the step of simmering the split peas. I recommend doing this if you’re thinking of
making this a one-pot dinner, since the original recipe doesn’t call for many
vegetables.
You don’t have to plan very far ahead to make
this recipe. Depending on how stocked
your spice cabinet is, you probably have almost all of the ingredients in your
pantry already, and you’ll only have to chop the onion, garlic, ginger, and
spinach. I would suggest chopping the
garlic, onion, and ginger before you start cooking so you can sauté everything
immediately without worrying that it will burn while you are chopping the next
ingredient. Once you add water the soup needs
to simmer for about 45 minutes, which will allow you plenty of time to chop the
spinach, prepare a side dish or just relax before eating.
I served this dish with brown rice and
steamed broccoli to give the meal some extra color and texture. My family loved the way the brown rice
complemented the soup. The rice also boosts
the meal’s protein content a little, providing the essential amino acids that
are missing from the split peas to create a complete protein.
If you aren’t used to cooking with yellow
split peas, you can find them in the same aisle as canned beans in your grocery
store. Yellow split peas are a
relatively inexpensive and nutritious source of protein. They’re high in folate, a vitamin that helps
keep your immune system strong and your heart healthy. They’re also high in fructans, a type of
fiber that promotes the growth of healthy gut bacteria. Overall, this is a nourishing meal that is
sure to become a go-to on those busy days when you aren’t sure what to have for
dinner.
Recipe Source: http://www.food.com/recipe/curried-yellow-split-pea-soup-with-spinach-206923