Split Pea Soup With Gouda-Sausage Toasts

By á-170456

Ingredients

• 1 pound dried green split peas
• 1 pound fully-cooked smoked sausage-- split lengthwise (such as Kielbasa)
• 4 cans low-salt chicken broth - (14 1/2 oz ea)
• 2 onions chopped
• 3 large celery stalks chopped
• 4 large garlic cloves chopped
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme crumbled
• 1 large bay leaf
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 1/2 cups shredded Gouda - (firmly packed) abt 10 oz
• Salt to taste
• Freshly-ground black pepper to taste
• Strong German-style mustard as needed
• 12 slices sourdough baguette, 1/2"-thk toasted

Details

Servings 6

Preparation

Step 1

Combine first 9 ingredients in heavy soup pot or Dutch oven. Bring to boil over high heat. Cover pot; reduce heat to low and simmer until peas are tender, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour.

Transfer sausage to large plate; cut into bite-size pieces. Reserve 1/4 of sausage pieces; return remaining sausage to soup. Add 1 cup Gouda to soup and stir until melted. Thin soup to desired consistency with water if necessary. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm

Preheat broiler. Mix remaining 1 1/2 cups Gouda with reserved sausage pieces. Spread generous amount of mustard on bread slices. Top with Gouda-sausage mixture. Broil until cheese melts and begins to brown. Serve soup, passing toasts separately.

This recipe yields 6 servings.