16 Reviews of Erwtensoep - Dutch Pea Soup

From: Missy Wombat

On Dec 26, 2002

Quick tip: grate a potato into the soup in the last half hour of cooking. Helps to remove any scum from the split peas and pork, and helps to thicken it. Trick from my Dutch mother.

From: Pooh Bear

On Nov 5, 2003

My ex-husband is 100% Dutch so I was lucky enough to snag some real Dutch recipes from his non-English speaking Mum. Your mother is very correct in that it MUST be thick or it just isn't authentic. My kids have been alternately picky through their lives and they were surprised as I was when they reached for 2nd's and 3rd's. This recipe tasted exactly like my ex-MIL, Dank u!

From: Gingerbear

On Nov 17, 2002

This soup is delicious. However, it did not thicken up real well for me and I had to use a little cornstarch to help it thicken some but that was my fault because I know that I used too much water. I made more than 4 servings and it made ALOT. I am going to have to freeze some. The soup is so wonderful and filling and all of the different meats in it is so good. Outstanding recipe. I will be making this again. Thank you very much.

From: Chrissyo

On Feb 27, 2006

Just FANTASIC. Loved the depth of flavour of this soup. A really nice tastey soup. So easy to make. I followed the recipe exactly as per Pets directions. I am certainly going to make the soup again. YUMMO! Thank you.

From: Chef #190912

On Jan 28, 2005

Delicious! Absolutely the best pea soup we've had - wonderful richness, depth and flavor, perfect for a cold winter night supper. It was surprisingly not greasy, despite the bacon, and was delicious served with crusty French bread and a cold, creamy slaw of cabbage and sprouts. I used more than 3 1/2 cups of peas, so as to not have a partial package left over. Also more ribs, 2.5 lbs., because the grocery store didn't have smaller packages. The store also didn't have slab bacon, so 10 oz. of salt pork was used,and smoked turkey sausage instead of Polish because it was on sale and also lower in fat (Dutch sausage was not an option). And last, I got too busy with family at the end of cooking to add the chopped celery and parsley, but a small dash of salt and a fresh grind of black pepper over individual bowls completed all the seasoning that was needed. Even with all the unintended changes, this soup was wonderful, and the recipe made a large quantity that will allow for serving another day, as well as a container in the freezer - well worth the minimal amount of work to make it. This was my first experience using celeriac, so I am glad to have learned about using it - an interesting and tasty flavor. A personal rule of thumb has been confirmed, though - any excuse for using leeks is probably good. Thank you for this great recipe!

From: Ceil from NJ

On Dec 24, 2002

This recipe was just superb! My family loved it, and I will absolutely make it again. We substituted Polish smoked sausage for the Dutch, but I will try to find some Dutch sausage in one of the towns near me with a big Dutch population. You're right — it certainly is a hearty and filling soup. Thanks again!

From: Chef #203647 (Gerry)

On Mar 17, 2005

Pets'R'us, that's a nice variation on the hamhock recipe. From a fellow cancer survivor. http://www.danen.org/h/cancer.php

From: WendyinGermany

On Mar 7, 2006

Great soup! I also used a thick slab of European bacon in the soup. Didn't use spareribs or sausage - but that was just because I didn't have any on hand. Used only 2 1/2 cups of split peas, but will definitely use more next time. We had a friend in for dinner and he and my husband both ate 3 large bowlfuls! Thanks for the recipe!

From: kiwidutch

On Feb 19, 2008

10 Stars Pets ! Erwtensoep was never a favourite of DH's ( shame on him, a born and bred Dutchman LOL !!! ) but I adore the stuff and usually eat it alone. THEN, SiL got celeriac in her to-the-door organic box delivery and she hates the stuff so other SiL and I went half each and I went in search of a pea soup that would contain celeriac. Yours of course does, so is a REAL Dutch born and bred authentic version and I must say,... when DH tasted this and muttered that he might grow to actually LIKE erwtensoep every now and agin if it was make like THIS, then I knew that this was a winner indeed. Since I only had half of a celeriac, I also added celery .. heck the more the merrier, the taste of both is excellent. The spareribs touch is devine as I like this soup meaty but not too fatty. to this end I used a leaner bacon and plenty of it, and added a heap of Rookworst, again the more the better in my estimation. The end result is a super thick soup that you can not only cut with a knife when it's cold (true test of excellent Dutch Pea Soup tradition) but that will stack up very nicely indeed in your freezer. This is no wimp of a boullion soup, it's full and hearty and so substantial that it will keep you going on the coldest of days. Please see my rating system: 5 excellent stars for a recipes that uses celeriac AND convinced DH that Erwtensoep was actually pretty brilliant after all. Thanks !!!

From: Grijzen

On Aug 1, 2006

My family are from the Dutch East-Indies, and we serve this soup a little differently. We prepare a large serving of white rice and serve the soup ladled on top of it. We usually have it with Sambal Ulek or Sambal Badjak. It goes well with a nice cold lager beer (It's not just a soup for cold weather, I eat it year round) My grandmother used to prepare the day long version of the soup using ox tail instead of spare ribs, however I have also come up with a "cheater" soup which got me through college (dutch-indo version of Kraft Dinner) I would use a couple of cans of French Canadian pea soup, and a Ukrainian double smoked sausage. I would heat up the soup with the sausage boiling in it, then take the sausage out and slice it very thin. I'd drop the sliced pieces back into the soup and let it boil until it thickened a bit. I'd make up some white rice in my cooker and then serve up a couple of bowls of rice and soup. It wasn't perfect, but it was still very tasty and I could make it in 20 min or less.