This easy, flavorful green pea soup is made with whole green peas and a smoked turkey wing to season the broth. Because this rich, creamy potage uses dried peas, you’ll need to soak them overnight before making the soup. The whole family will love this one.
Everyone is familiar with split pea soup — and it’s always been one of my favorites. This green pea soup has whole dried peas, not split and there IS a difference. The split peas don’t need to be soaked overnight and because they’re split, they dissolve all on their own into a thick, creamy blend. Whole green peas are a different beast — and require an overnight soak.
Table of Contents
Ingredients for green pea soup
- Dried Green Peas
- Olive Oil
- Carrots
- Onion
- Celery
- Garlic
- Bay Leaves
- Fresh Thyme
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- Smoked Turkey Wing
- Chicken Bouillon Cube
- Kosher Salt
- Place the peas in a large dutch oven and sort through them to remove any pebbles or bad beans.
- Cover the dried peas with cold water by about 2 inches.
- Let sit overnight. The peas will soak up the liquid and plump to their original size.
- Drain the peas and rinse with fresh water.
This hearty meal can be made in an Instant Pot or Slow Cooker, but I have to say, the Dutch oven still reigns as my favorite way to make a pot of soup. I love the aromas when I lift the lid to stir the whole green peas and vegetables with bits of smoked turkey wing — there’s something cathartic and sensorial about that, don’t you think?
Where to get whole dried green peas?
I’ll be honest, they don’t sell dried whole green peas in my supermarket, I think these are a regional specialty and South Florida isn’t that region. I was gifted this bag by my friend Nola. Check your markets to see if they’re available or order through my affiliate link {below} just before the recipe card.
Where can I get smoked turkey wings?
They actually DO sell smoked turkey wings in individual packages in my market. If you don’t see them in the case, ask the butcher or substitute a ham hock for the smoked turkey wing. You won’t get as much meat off of the ham hock, but you’ll get that great smoked flavor.
Simmer green pea soup until the dried peas are tender
Depending on how old your dried green peas are, it may take more (or less) time for them to cook and become tender. You’ll need to test it by fishing out one of the peas and tasting it. The skins may be slightly firm, but you’ll want to check that the peas are soft inside. This is another reason I like using a Dutch oven — you can make those quick checks without releasing the pressure valve on an Instant Pot.
Blending the peas
You’ll notice that the whole green peas don’t break down the way a pot of split peas do. They stay relatively intact, which can give the soup a watery appearance. Not what we’re going for…
- To remedy that, remove the smoked turkey wing from the pot and set it aside to cool. scoop out about 4 cups of the green peas and transfer to a blender.
- Pulse until they’re pureed and then add them back to the pot. This will give you that creamy, silky texture while leaving some whole peas in the mix for good measure.
- When the turkey wing is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and cut or shred the meat from the bone. I got about 2 cups of turkey meat from one wing. Not only does it add a meaty smoked aroma to the green pea soup, but the smoked bits of turkey wing add more substance and flavor to the pea soup.
What to serve with green pea soup:
I like to toss some homemade croutons (shown below) on top of this chunky soup, but it’s also good with oyster crackers or simple saltines.
For homemade buttered croutons:
- Preheat the oven to 325°
- Trim the crusts from a few slices of stale sourdough or Italian bread.
- Rip them into smaller chunks and transfer to a mini food processor.
- Add a teaspoon of cold butter and pulse several times until the bread is shredded to smaller, bite-sized pieces. Don’t over-process. You want shreds, not crumbs.
- When you pulse the food processor, it will naturally break up the butter and lightly coat the bread.
- Transfer the bread to a baking sheet and spread into a single layer.
- Bake for 8 minutes, stir and bake for an additional 8 minutes or until the crumbs are light golden brown and very crunchy.
The whole green peas add a visual dimension that you just won’t get in your standard green pea soup. The turkey wing really adds a smoky flavor and the texture is thick, chunky and creamy all at once. The crispy croutons (my favorite) have a startling crunch and makes this soup even more fun to eat. Your family will love this one.
More recipes for dried peas and beans:
- Yellow Peas with Smoked Sausage
- Ham Bone Split Pea Soup
- Braised Kale with White Beans and Tomato
- Smoky Black Bean & Ham Soup
- Smoked Ham, Kale and White Bean Soup
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Green Pea Soup with Smoked Turkey Wings
INGREDIENTS:
- 14 ounces dried whole green peas
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 medium carrots chopped
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 2 large cloves garlic minced
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme tied in a bundle with kitchen string (can use 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 chicken bouillon cube
- 1 smoked turkey wing
- 8 cups water
DIRECTIONS:
- Place the peas in a large pot and cover with cold water by about 2 inches. Place the lid on the pot and soak the peas for at least 8 hours or overnight.
- Drain the peas and rinse with fresh water. Set aside.
- In a large dutch oven over medium high heat, add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, stir in the onion, carrots, celery and kosher salt. Sauté, stirring occasionally for 3-5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for one minute longer until the garlic is fragrant.
- Add the peas, turkey wing (break into pieces if it's too large), bay leaves, thyme and bouillon to the vegetables. Pour water over the pot and heat to boiling. Reduce heat to a medium simmer with the lid slightly askew on the pot to prevent it from boiling over and so that steam may escape. Cook until the peas are tender, about 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
- Remove from heat and use a pair of tongs to fish out the smoked turkey wing, bundle of thyme and bay leaves. Discard thyme and bay leaves. Let the turkey wings cool for a few minutes.
- Meanwhile use a ladle to scoop about 4 to 5 cups of pea soup into a blender (try to avoid blending too many of the carrots — because they're nice pops of color in the soup). Blend the peas on high until they're smooth and creamy. Transfer the pureed peas back to the soup pot and stir to combine.
- When the turkey is cool enough to handle, peel away the skin and pull the meat from the wings. Chop or shred the smoked turkey meat and add back to the pea soup. Stir to combine. If soup is cool, warm it over medium heat with the lid until hot enough to serve.
- Ladle soup into bowls and serve with homemade croutons (shown) or oyster crackers.
NUTRITION:
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Since using a leftover smoked turkey in soup after Thanksgiving years ago it has always been my favorite addition to soup. It adds so much flavor, and really does make the soup so comforting. Love it paired with the traditional green pea soup here, so much yum!
You’ve convinced me! Whole pea soup is SO much better than split pea soup. Although maybe it’s the flavor from that smoked turkey wing- what a genius idea! We smoke a lot of meat but I’ve never thought of putting the smoked wings in as a little soup flavor bomb before!
That’s exactly what the turkey wing is — a FLAVOR BOMB.
Ooooh yum! Love a good split pea soup recipe and this one is so great with the smoked turkey! Plus, croutons are always a good idea. Mmmm….
I love peas soup. For some reason I have only ever made it with yellow peas. Maybe it the Canadian in me. This looks and sounds delicious. Love the twist with turkey instead of ham.
That soup looks so warm and comforting. Do you happen to know if I can use frozen green peas to make this soup? And how much would I need? Thanks. 🙂
No, you’d definitely want to use dried peas for this soup.
OMG this looks so good! love the smoked turkey addition! it adds so much depth of flavor
Always looking for great soup recipes to use with leftover turkey. This one it the best.
Love the flavors in the soup. Perfect for the weather here
This is the ultimate comforting soup. So flavorful.