This yellow split pea tortilla soup is such a fun twist on traditional tortilla soup. Top it with cheese, sour cream and enjoy it with lots of chips!
This split pea tortilla soup is hearty like a chili, it’s packed full of so much flavor, and is so delicious.
I love a good traditional split pea soup, maybe because I love green peas, but if you mention split pea soup to some people they don’t want to give it a try. Now I know they are missing out, but I wanted to change that no to more “yes, please” and I think I’ve definitely done that with this split pea tortilla soup.
The roasted yellow split peas add a little zip to the recipe, as they are used both as a filler in the soup, and on top as a crunchy garnish.
I loved the extra zest and spice that the roasted yellow split peas have. I will admit I have not perfected the right amount of roasting time for the yellow split peas. Shorter might be better. Also note, the roasted split peas need to be soaked for 6 hours minimum, up to overnight. I encourage you to do it overnight.
They have a crunch and consistency like corn nuts. And the flavor is amazing, and is wonderful as a crunchy garnish in this yellow split pea tortilla soup.
What is a split pea?
Split peas are made from traditional field peas, but split peas are regular peas that are peeled and dried.
Split peas are high in protein, fiber, potassium, and also low in fat. They are a great addition to a vegetarian’s diet since they are packed full of protein, and also have a great taste.
Even my roasted yellow split pea tortilla soup could easily be made vegetarian if you leave out the ground beef, and it would still be so tasty, and healthy for you!
How to make Split Pea Tortilla Soup?
To make the soup you’ll first brown your ground beef in a large saute pan, with your chopped onion, and bell pepper, until the beef is cooked through and the onion is translucent. Drain out the excess grease.
Add your ground beef, onion, bell pepper, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, black beans, kidney beans, salsa, and split peas. Then add in your seasonings. Simmer over medium low heat until the split peas and tender.
Serve the soup topped with your favorite toppings.
What to put on top of Split Pea Tortilla Soup?
- shredded cheese
- sour cream
- cilantro
- green onions
- avocado
- tortilla strips or chips
- roasted split peas
- squeeze of lime juice
This yellow split pea tortilla soup is a hearty and filling soup, it’s comforting, and so delicious! Perfect for dinner on a cool day.
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Yellow Split Pea Tortilla Soup
Ingredients
For the Yellow Split Pea Tortilla Soup:
- 1/2 lb ground beef
- 1/2 cup onion (chopped)
- 1/2 cup green or yellow peppers (chopped)
- 30 oz tomato sauce (2 -15oz cans)
- 15 oz diced tomatoes
- 15 oz black beans (undrained)
- 15 oz kidney beans (undrained)
- 1 cup salsa
- 1 cup yellow split peas
- 2 tsp salt (to taste)
- 2 tsp chili powder (to taste)
- 2 tsp cumin (to taste)
For Topping the Soup:
- shredded cheddar cheese
- cilantro (chopped)
- green onions (minced)
- avocado
- diced tomatoes
- sour cream
- tortilla strips or chips
- roasted split peas
For the ROASTED YELLOW SPLIT PEAS:
- 1 cup split yellow peas
- 2 TBS olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp pepper
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp chili powder
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
Equipment
- Large Mixing Bowl
Instructions
For the Yellow Split Pea Tortilla Soup:
- In a large saute pan, brown the ground beef along with your chopped onions and chopped peppers over medium heat. Continue cooking until ground beef is cooked thoroughly and onions are translucent.
- Drain the grease out of the pan.
- Add the ground beef, onion, peppers, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, black beans, kidney beans, salsa, split peas, and seasonings to a large pot.
- Simmer the soup until the split peas are tender, about 60 to 70 minutes. (Add beef, chicken broth, or water as needed if the soup gets too thick).
- Serve with your favorite toppings.
For the ROASTED YELLOW SPLIT PEAS:
- Pour 1 cup split peas into a large bowl
- Cover with about 3 cups of water, but enough to cover the peas plus about 3/4 more, cover bowl
- Soak for a minimum of 6 hours but up to overnight
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper
- Drain and rinse the split peas
- Pat dry with a paper towel
- Return split peas to bowl and add the olive oil, stir
- Add all the spices and stir to coat the peas completely
- Spread the peas over the parchment paper and put into the oven to roast
- Stir after 10 minutes
- Stir every 5 minutes for another 10 to 20 minutes of roasting
- Check consistency after 15 minutes for amount of crunch you want, the longer you roast the crunchier the peas become.
Notes
Nutrition
This yellow split pea tortilla soup was first posted on November 10, 2014. Photos updated on July 14, 2020.
Pam says
Do you think this could be canned and pressure cooked and if so for how long?
Aimee says
I haven’t ever done that, so you’d have to adapt it from a recipe for canning.
Gail McAlister says
7/12/23. Made this soup. I did make the following modifications: drain the black and kidney beans. I made the roasted split peas per the recipe, however, I agree with the previous comment about them being too hard. I soaked them again and added them to the soup. The peas I used were well within the expiration date. I will make a double batch again and can it. EXCELLENT!!
Aimee says
Glad to hear you made it work!!
Jenn & Richard says
This soup was pretty good! It was more like a chili than a tortilla soup, but still delicious. After reading some other comments, we cooked the whole batch in an instant pot (using the sautee setting for veggies first), and we omitted the meat for personal dietary reasons. We ended up adding about 3 cups of vegetable broth to keep the soup from burning to the bottom of the instant pot, as we had to stop the cooking process twice before adding the broth because the instant pot displayed “food burn” and subsequently shut off.
We had soaked the yellow split peas for 10+ hours before roasting them, but for some reason they still came out extremely crunchy. We’re talking potential broken tooth crunch level. Instead of using them as a topping, we threw the roasted split peas into the soup with the rest of the ingredients and pressure cooked everything together for about 30 minutes. After the cook time was up, we allowed for a 15 minute natural release and then flipped the seal valve to let the steam out and release the pressure completely.
We topped with cheese, avocado, and lime juice and ate with chips. We would make it again using the same modifications!
As a note, we used fire roasted diced tomatoes and used a fire roasted garlic salsa to add to the flavor. Highly recommend!
Aimee says
Glad you made it work for you! Sounds delicious!
Coolcat says
This recipe is a keeper! Next time I will soak the split peas that goes into the soup in the morning and make it later in the day for dinner. I cooked it 2 1/2 hours and the peas still has a crunch to it. The seasonings are simple but tastes incredible. It’s the best “chili” I’ve ever made. Thanks for sharing.
Connie says
The recipe was not very clear. Do you use the roasted split peas in the soup or a fresh cup of split peas. Whatever the case, mine have yet to soften. My husband said split peas will not soften for a LONG time if cooked in acid and salt. Needless to say this recipe failed 100%. It was not ready in the time allotted and I had to make something else for the family for dinner. Very bad recipe.
Aimee says
I’m so sorry they didn’t soften in time for you, you can add the roasted split peas as a topping, or as a crunch to the soup, but the soup should have regular split peas. I’ll have to double check my time on how long the split peas need, but haven’t had issues with it before.
Katie says
Is there a way to convert this to the instant pot?
Aimee says
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure, but saute the ground beef, with the saute mode. Cover the pressure cooker and set to high for about 15 minutes, then let it do a natural release for 15 minutes, then a quick release. Let me know if that works for you.
Jessica Bydlak says
I’ve been boiling the split peas for 2+ hours … and they’re still not tender :(! Did I do something wrong? The flavor of the soup is fantastic!
Ellen says
No you aren’t doing anything wrong. The peas are to be roasted so they will always have a slight crunch. I’m glad you love the flavor
Aimee says
My mom already answered, but for the boiled split peas they shouldn’t take that long to soften at all, everything I’ve read says they’ll take much less time and if they aren’t softening they may have been old split peas? Is that possible? Hopefully they’re still edible even with their crunch!
CAB says
Would green split peas work?
Aimee says
I haven’t tried them with this recipe, but it should work fine!
Henryetta Price says
I never had split peas before and new to healthy eating. The roasted split peas are amazingly delicious, easy, and versatile!!!! I’ll be adding this to a few other dishes roasted or boiled!
Ellen says
I am really glad you have now discovered how delicious split peas are, delicious and healthy. But I am doubled happy that you really enjoyed the roasted split peas. Thanks for letting me know.
Danitza says
What type of peppers? Like green peppers? or Jalapeno peppers?
Ellen says
I should have written green peppers. Sorry for the confusion. I will go into the recipe and change it. I hope you enjoy the recipe it is a bit different than a normal soup.
Yvonne [Tried and Tasty] says
Roasted split peas? That sounds wonderful! I love anything roasted! This soup looks delicious, thank you for sharing!
Ellen Garrett says
The roasting part was probably the most difficult because of knowing when it was just the right amount.
Lydia says
I cook with lentils and split peas all the time but never thought to roast them. Will have to give it a go!
Ellen Garrett says
I had never before either, it was a new recipe for me. I will look forward to you sharing your lentils and split peas recipes.