Rick Lovett’s Spicy Split Pea Stew

Like the spicy spaghetti recipe (link) I posted here a few weeks ago, this is another old favorite, easily adaptable to coronavirus isolation. And yes, this too is spicy. I view most foods as an excuse for jalapenos or dried red peppers.

Ingredients:

  •             1/2 can split pea soup. (See below for alternatives.)
  •             1 onion
  •             1-2 jalapenos, dried red peppers, or hot sauce
  •             Baby carrots
  •             Sweet red pepper
  •             Snap peas
  •             2 ounces pasta
  •             1-2 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese (optional)
  •             1-2 ounces precooked honey ham (optional)
  •             Pepper
  •             Water

Slice the onions, carrots, and jalapenos into a pot. Add water as needed to cook veggies. Start cooking pasta in separate pot.  When pasta is half cooked, add the split pea soup to the cooking vegetables, adding additional water as needed.  Stir in pepper, red peppers, and/or hot sauce to taste. Add the snap peas, late enough that they remain crisp. Add pasta and cheese. Serves 1.

Nutrition information: depends on ingredients chosen, but probably 450-600 calories. Sodium is dominated by the cheese, honey ham, and, most importantly, by the brand of soup.

Variations:

  • Make your own split pea soup or buy a low-sodium mix—something you may have to do anyway, because canned split pea soup has become hard to find.
  • Say to heck with cooking the pasta, and use ramen noodles, breaking them into the pot with the soup (note: this will substantially increase the glycemic index, for those concerned about that).
  • Using bean soup or mushroom soup, rather than split pea.
  • Experiment with other vegetables, such as mushrooms or broccoli.

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