Old-Fashioned Pea Soup is such an easy, homely, and deliciously hearty meal packed with the protein and filling wholesomeness of marrowfat peas. Serve along with a chunk of freshly baked bread for a comforting meal. This pea soup can be easily prepared for vegan and plant-based diets, and gluten-free. Pea soup originates from the medieval British pottages. These recipes have stood the test of time and become traditional old-fashioned family staples that have nourished us for thousands of years and will continue to do so for many more.
Old-Fashioned pea soup can be blended or left chunky. Kids and those with food texture sensitivities [having 2 kids on the Autism spectrum I know all about this!] may appreciate the pea soup being smooth and velvety. In Victorian times the pea soup would have been pushed through a fine sieve. However, I would really dislike having to clean that sieve afterwards!
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What is the origin of pea soup?
Peas are part of the legume family as they develop within a pod the same as beans, lentils and other pulses. Peas have been grown for thousands of years since 6000-7000 BCE [before common/current era]. Pea remnants have been dug up in the Middle East, which suggests that peas were agriculturally grown alongside wheat and barley. The early peas were dried and not eaten fresh.
Pea soup may be one of the oldest soups and has been around in some shape or form for over a thousand years. Many countries have their own traditional pea soup from the Dutch pea soup called snert, the English pea and ham soup, Canadian yellow split pea soup, German pea soup, Scandinavian pea soup, Norwegian pea soup, Danish pea soup, Indonesian pea soup, Polish pea soup, US split pea soup, Finish green pea soup, and the list goes on and on!
Throughout the ages beef, ham, bacon, and pork were the most common accompaniments to pea soup which gave the soup a meaty salty flavour. However, for the poorer folk meat was often too expensive so cheap vegetables, such as cabbage, and a crust of bread would be served either in the pea soup or along side it.
Pea soup is so popular because peas are an inexpensive and easy crop to grow, as well as being packed with protein and nutrition, are simple to cook, and are very tasty.
In Poland, pea soup is a common military meal as it's easy to prepare for a large crowd, while historically in Britain, pea soup was a staple meal for the poorer folks, served up in soup kitchens and workhouses, and helped prevent starvation. If the pea soup did not contain meat such as bacon, it was termed a 'meagre soup'.
British Pea soup originated from the medieval Pease porridge or Pease pottage which was a thick soup-stew dish that may have had meat, barley, oats and vegetables, such as cabbage and leeks, added along with the peas.
This traditional pea soup recipe is adapted from an old recipe dating back to the 1700-1800s British soup kitchens. As it does not contain bacon it is technically called 'meagre pea soup'! But its flavour is anything but meagre as it is a well-seasoned delicious meat-free soup.
What types of peas are there?
There are many different types of peas such as fresh sweet peas that are usually frozen minutes after harvest, fresh peas which are popped out of pea pods, mange tout/sugar pea/snow pea which are peas with underdeveloped pods so are eaten whole, tinned/canned peas such as garden peas, marrowfat peas, mushy peas, and processed peas, and dried peas such as yellow-split peas, green split peas and marrowfat peas.
What are marrowfat peas?
Marrowfat peas are old peas that have not been harvested along with fresh peas but rather left on the pea plant to dry out within the peapods. Marrowfat peas are dried so can be stored for many years.
This old-fashioned pea soup recipe uses dried marrowfat peas which can usually be found within the same supermarket aisle where dried soup mixes/scotch soup mix, barley, lentils, dried yellow and green split peas are generally found.
Another tasty traditional recipe, that you can use your marrowfat peas for, is our delicious British mushy peas recipe.
Ingredients
The ingredients required for this pea soup recipe are:
- dried marrowfat peas
- bicarbonate of soda/baking soda [this is optional but does help soften up older peas and reduces cooking time]
- butter or oil [we used vegan butter]
- onion
- plain flour [all-purpose flour]
- dried mint [or fresh mint]
- ground black pepper
- salt
- vegetable stock [or your choice of stock or broth]
- granulated sugar
- milk [we use soya or oat milk but any milk is fine]
Optional garnish:
- fresh parsley or mint
- spring onions/green onions
How to prepare
This recipe is adapted from an old English recipe dating back to the 1800s for meagre pea soup. It is termed meagre because it is a meat-free soup.
Dried peas are relatively inexpensive but provide amazing plant-based protein and are packed with valuable nutrition as they are high in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, so this soup is far from being meagre!
Step 1: The night before cooking the pea soup, soak the marrowfat peas in cold water. You can also a little bicarbonate of soda [baking soda] to the water as this can help soften up old peas and reduce cooking times.
Step 2: Melt the butter in the soup pot and then add the onions. Saute for 7 minutes, stirring a few times.
Step 3: Next add the dried or fresh mint, flour, salt, black pepper and sugar.
Step 4: Drain the water from the soaking peas and add the peas into the soup pot. Stir and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Step 5: Pour in the hot vegetable stock and bring to a boil.
Step 6: Lower the heat and simmer for 45-50 minutes or until the peas are soft and cooked.
Step 7: Once the peas are soft pour in 250ml or 1 cup of milk such as oat, soya or your usual milk. Add salt and pepper if necessary.
Step 8: Bring the soup back to the boil.
Step 9: The soup can either be left chunky or blended until smooth.
Optional: Sprinkle each bowl of soup with fresh parsley or mint, and chopped spring/green onions.
Old-fashioned pea soup is a wonderful green soup to enjoy on St Patrick's Day [17th March] along with a slice or two of Irish wheaten or soda bread.
Recipe notes
Storage & reheating
Pea soup can be stored within the refrigerator for up to 3 days, within a covered container. Or freeze for 3-4 months.
Reheat the soup on the stove-top until piping hot, or microwave until hot throughout. A little extra milk can be added to the soup to thin it down if necessary as the peas will continue to thicken the soup, as the soup is stored.
Marrowfat peas can be found within most UK supermarkets within the same aisle where the dried red split lentils, green lentils, dried soup mixes, dried barley, green and yellow split peas usually are.
If your outwith the UK check any similar aisles within your local stores, whole-food stores, and International food stores especially Scottish or Irish themed ones. Or you may have to source the peas online.
In the US, Amazon.com has packets of Batchelors Bigga Dried Peas 'selected marrowfats' for sale which are perfect for pea soup.
In Australia, the website britishsweets.com.au sell Batchelors Traditional Dried Marrowfat Peas which they state are an Irish classic since 1935!
The only thing that pea soup really needs is a nice crust of bread to dunk in and soak up all the lovely savoury green goodness. Here are a few ideas:
* Irish Wheaten Bread [100% wholemeal and no added fats]
* Australian Damper Bread [similar to a white soda bread]
* Quick Dinner Rolls [no yeast, no rising, and no kneading required!]
* Old-Fashioned British Cheese Scones
* Buttermilk Scones
* Traditional Malt Loaf [old Harvo malt loaf]
* Old-Fashioned Cornbread Muffins
For slow cooker breads:
* Old-Fashioned Steamed Cornbread
* Boston Brown Bread
A pretty tasty garnish can elevate a pea soup into a special dinner party soup that would be especially delicious for Thanksgiving, Harvest festival, Halloween, or a festive meal starter. Or just simply for everyday enjoyment and nourishment.
A few ideas:
* toasted sunflower or pumpkin seeds
* a drizzle of cream
* a sprinkle of grated cheese
* a sprinkle of nutritional yeast flakes
* fresh herbs such as parsley, mint, chives
* sliced spring onions/green onions/cybies
* a dollop of mint sauce
* a scoop of cream cheese, sour cream, creme fraise, plain yogurt
* a handful of cooked fresh or frozen green peas [for the colour and texture contrast, and the extra sweetness that these types of peas bring]
* fried cabbage
* kale baked until crisp
* sprinkle of red pepper/paprika or chilli flakes
* home-made croutons [we have an easy recipe over on the cream of swede/rutabaga soup post]
* roast chickpeas croutons [Easy method over on our curried cauliflower soup recipe. Can replace the seasonings with dried mint or mixed herbs etc.
* grilled cheese toast [sliced into small pieces]
* cooked diced bacon
* cooked sliced sausage
* a traditional garnish for old-fashioned pea soup was small pieces of diced fried bread
As we are a plant-based family all our garnishes that we use are vegan-friendly, so we would have vegan diced bacon or sausage, or vegan cheese, but of course it is your soup so you can add what you like.
For extra hungry people here are a few ideas for additional extras:
* a scoop of mashed potatoes in the soup bowl before ladling over the soup
* or mashed sweet potato
* or mashed turnip/swede/rutabaga
* or thick noodles
* or cooked pasta shapes
* or cooked rice
* or cooked green lentils
* chopped sausages [use more than you would for a garnish]
* chopped bacon [use more than for a simple garnish]
* crispy tofu bites
Mint was originally added to traditional pea soups as it pairs so well with the peas. Even if you do not like the flavour of mint do try it in pea soup as it could well change your mind. The mint flavour is not too prominent but simply compliments the overall soup. If preferred reduce the amount of mint to 1-2 teaspoons or perhaps replace the mint with parsley.
Fresh mint can be frozen so if you find any within the reduced section of supermarkets or grocery stores then it can be frozen for soup and other recipes. Or use dried mint which can be easily found in most supermarkets and grocery stores.
If interested, mint plants are one of the easiest plants to grow in your garden or in a large pot either inside or outside, and one small plant can quickly become a huge plant that self-seeds all over the garden! I have lots of mint in the garden happily growing in car tyres, and have also found some mint growing wild near a ditch which I suspect seeded itself from a local garden. Drying the fresh mint is easy in a small food dehydrator, or even within a microwave, or by simply hanging it up somewhere in the kitchen or in a dry warm closet.
Pea soup is really easy to prepare as gluten-free. Simply use a gluten-free vegetable stock and a gluten-free plain flour alternative [such as the Doves Farm Freee plain white flour].
The butter or oil provides extra flavour and does not add too much to the overall calorie and fat content of the soup, as the rest of the ingredients are low in calories. However, if preferred replace the butter, margarine or oil with a half cup/125ml of vegetable stock or broth and add small extra amounts as required during sautéing the onions.
More budget-friendly meat-free soup recipes
Pea Soup In The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
In the words of Dre Head the shrunken head ornament on the knight bus from the Harry Potter movie Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban:
''Don't forget to eat the pea soup before it eats you!''
The pea soup referred to in the Harry Potter film is served at the Leaky Cauldron and when Harry is offered some pea soup he refuses!
Any Harry Potter fans will love the idea of this old-fashioned pea soup especially at Halloween, during a Harry Potter theme party/night, International Harry Potter Day 2nd May, Back To Hogwarts Day September the 1st, or any day!
📖 Recipe
Old-Fashioned Pea Soup
Equipment
- Soup pot non-stick
- immersion/stick blender optional, only required if blending the soup
Ingredients
- 250 gram dried marrowfat peas [soaked overnight in about 700ml of water]
- 45 gram butter [we used vegan butter but you can use oil or your usual butter/margarine]
- 190 gram onions [1 large chopped]
- 1 tablespoon plain flour [all-purpose flour]
- 1 tablespoon dried mint [or small handful of chopped fresh mint]
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¾ teaspoon salt [use ¼-½ teaspoon if preferred a less seasoned soup or if your stock is quite salty already]
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1.5 litres vegetable stock, hot [or your choice of stock/broth]
Add at end of cooking:
- 250 mililitres milk [we use soya or oat milk, but you can use your usual milk]
Garnish:
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley or mint chopped
- 3 spring onions [green onions] sliced
Instructions
The evening before soak the peas:
- Soak the dried peas in about 700 millilitres [3 cups] of cold water overnight. [If your peas are older or have been sitting in your pantry for awhile add ¼ teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda [baking soda] to the soaking water as this will help soften up the peas]250 gram dried marrowfat peas
Prepare the soup:
- Melt the butter in the soup pan. Add the onions and saute for 7 minutes over a medium heat. Stir frequently.45 gram butter, 190 gram onions
- Drain the water off the soaked peas. [if bicarbonate of soda was added give the peas a rinse]
- Add the sugar, salt, pepper, flour and dried mint. Stir well.1 tablespoon plain flour, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, ¾ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon dried mint
- Tip in the soaked peas and cook for a further 2 minutes. Stir a few times.
- Pour in the hot vegetable stock. Bring to the boil, and simmer over a medium heat for 45-50 minutes or until the peas are soft.1.5 litres vegetable stock, hot
- Once ready pour in the milk and bring back to the boil. Add a little extra milk if preferred.Taste the seasoning and adjust if necessary but this soup tends to not require any more seasoning.250 mililitres milk
- Puree the soup with a stick/immersion hand blender or keep it chunky. The soup can also be mashed a few times with a potato masher but not too many times as the skins can pop off the peas.
- Serve the soup with a garnish of fresh chopped parsley and sliced spring/green onions. And one or two slices of your favourite bread.A swirl of vegan pouring cream is also a nice addition.2 tablespoons fresh parsley or mint, 3 spring onions [green onions]
Notes
- Nutritional information is provided for guidance only and is not an exact calculation as ingredients vary.
- Leftover pea soup will keep fresh for up to 3 days within the refrigerator.
- Or freeze for 3-4 months.
- Replace dried mint with a small handful of chopped fresh mint.
- Leftover pea soup is delicious served over mashed potatoes.
- Kids may prefer the soup blended smooth, which is what my kids prefer.
- Don't forget to mention to any Harry Potter fans, within the family, of the pea soup that is served in the Leaky Cauldron!
Nutrition
Comments
Do let us know what you think of our pea soup recipe by dropping us a comment below and clicking the star ratings. It's very much appreciated. Thanks so much! Jacq x
Nancy Pearson says
Thanks for so thoroughly and enthusiastically covering the subject of pea soup! I grew Swedish Red Soup Peas last year in my garden especially to make pea soup like my great grannies might have cooked. Today I shared at a garden potluck a batch of pea soup made following your recipe and everyone looooved it! So I'm directing them to this page to get the full scoop, on pea soup.
Jacq says
Your so welcome! Thanks for the lovely comment, it was so interesting reading about your garden potluck and how your friends enjoyed the pea soup. I do wonder at times, if I provide too much information about the origins and history of a recipe. But I just love researching the traditional meal and pouring over my old cookbooks and history books for interesting bits of info to share with everyone, so its amazing that you enjoyed the write up. Thanks so much for popping back and letting me know, its very much appreciated.I'm intrigued about your Swedish red soup peas, my daughter grows peas at our allotment so will give her a nudge and see if she can source those peas 🙂