Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup

This is another blend of a couple of recipes, from here and here. Ham seems to be a popular add-in to split pea soup in North America, but more often than not I make it as below for days when I'm vegan. I think this recipe is delicious as is, but feel free to add some ham or bacon if you're wanting that richer flavor in the end product!

Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup

Ingredients

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1 medium-large onion (chopped)

1 1/2 cups of carrots (chopped)

3 stalks of celery (chopped)

3 to 6 cloves of garlic (crushed or minced)

6 cups of broth

1 cup of water

2 cups of split peas

2 cups of diced potato

1 bay leaf

Salt (to taste)

Pepper (to taste)

Ginger (to taste)

Parsley (to taste)

Directions

1) If you have time, heat the olive oil over medium heat in a pan and sauté the onion, celery, and carrot until the onion is translucent, then add the garlic and seasonings and sauté for a couple more minutes. If you don't have time, no worries! Just chuck these ingredients into the crockpot with everything else!

2) Add the contents of the pan and the remaining ingredients to the crockpot and cook on low overnight or on high for 4 hours. (Go easy on the seasonings, you can always add more later after a taste!)

3) Serve as is or with a bit of parmesan if you're not vegan, and enjoy!