Easter dinner on a budget: Split pea soup recipe

One of the easiest ways tosave money in the kitchen is to use leftovers. If you are having ham for Easter dinner, make sure not to throw away the bone so you can use it for this split pea soup recipe. Like my lentil soup recipe, this recipe is fast and easy to make. You can also substitute bacon or turkey bacon if you don’t have a ham on hand and it will be just as good. The best thing is, it’s inexpensive to make.

You can also serve this soup at your Easter celebration instead of serving an elaborate meal with all the trimmings. This modest meal is hearty and satisfying when served withwarm bread and salad.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups of  split peas
• 2 carrot stalks
• 2 celery stalks
• leftover ham from Easter celebration or bacon
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• black pepper to taste
• 6 cups water
• 1/2 a cup of half and half

Directions:

1. Saute celery and carrot in olive oil until soft. (If you are using bacon instead of the ham bone, use the bacon drippings to saute the veggies.)
2. Then add garlic for 2 more minutes until it browns.
3. Add lentils, bone and water, and bring to a boil. Add salt and pepper to taste and reduce to simmer for at least an hour, occasionally stirring.
4. Once tender, turn heat off and add cream. Remove bone before serving.

This soup will make your house smell incredible. It also freezes well so you can enjoy it later. Makes 4 servings. - BargainBabe.com

Tags: Easter dinner on a budget

Posted by FinanceAZ on Mar 29 2011. Filed under Save money. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry