Split Pea Soup – In the Crock Pot!

Arrange the split peas in a large slow cooker in an even layer. Top with the carrots, celery, onion, garlic and herbs. If you want, you can tie the herbs in a bundle with cooking string. This way they will be easier to fish out later. Layer the turkey bacon on top of the vegetables.

Pour the chicken broth and water over everything and season with salt and pepper.

Cover and cook for 5 to 6 hours on high or 8 to 10 hours on low, or until the peas are very soft.

Remove the herb bundle (if you tied them together) or fish out the bay leaf and all of the herb stems. Stir in the fresh squeezed lemon juice adding more if needed. At this point the soup is ready to be enjoyed!

Adapted from a recipe on Chow.com.

To freeze:
This soup freezes very well. To freeze, I ladled the soup into muffin tins and froze them until they were solid. Then, I quickly dunked the bottom of the muffin tin in hot water and pried out the soup cup with a butter knife. Then, I just threw them all in a freezer bag and I’ll have nice serving sizes of soup all winter long! This technique works well for other types of soups and sauces too. Two or three “pucks” heat up nicely in a coffee mug or bowl for a quick meal.