Name: Split Pea Soup with Onion and Rice or Potato
Ingredients: 2 cups green split peas, washed and picked over; ½ cup rice or 1 medium potato, peeled and quartered; 6 cups chicken, beef, or vegetable stock, or water, plus more if necessary; 1 medium onion, minced; salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste; croutons

Why it works: Rice and chicken are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,769 recipes. Both carry (e,e)-2,4-decadienal, which smells fatty, deep fried. The science ↓

Split Pea Soup with Onion and Rice or Potato

Time45 minutes to 1 hour

Ingredients

2 cups green split peas, washed and picked over
½ cup rice or 1 medium potato, peeled and quartered
6 cups chicken, beef, or vegetable stock, or water, plus more if necessary
1 medium onion, minced
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
croutons

Directions

Make the soup

Combine the peas and the stock or water in a large, deep saucepan or casserole and bring to a boil over medium‑high heat.
Add ½ cup rice or 1 medium potato, peeled and quartered, for extra creaminess.
Turn the heat to low, cover partially, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the peas are very soft, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Add 1 medium onion, minced, about halfway through the cooking.

Finish and serve

Mash the mixture with a fork or potato masher, or puree it carefully in a blender; you may also use a food mill or strainer.
Reheat, adding more stock or water if necessary to achieve the desired consistency.
Season to taste and serve with croutons.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

894Calories

71 gProtein

20 gFat

104 gCarbs

Counts 8 of 9 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 8 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Beef	100g cooked	250
Rice	1 cup cooked (158g) white	206
Chicken	100g cooked	165
Potato	1 medium (173g) baked	161
Pea	1/2 cup (72g)	62
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Water	not in our table	0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

Rice + chickentop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together4,769 recipes

Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).
Chicken + oniontop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together17,814 recipes

Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).
Rice + oniontop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together10,433 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Peas + ricetop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,434 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-nonadienal (fatty, green).
Onion + peppertop 11% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together68,474 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Green split peas: Break down during long simmering to give the soup its body and thick texture.
Rice or potato: Its starch thickens the liquid and adds creaminess as it softens.
Stock or water: Cooks the peas and sets the soup's liquid volume and flavor base.
Onion: Adds aromatic sweetness and savory depth as it softens in the soup.

The step that matters

Cook the peas until very soft. Split peas must be fully tender before mashing or blending, or the soup stays grainy. Gentle, partly covered simmering with occasional stirring keeps the peas from sticking and scorching on the bottom of the pot.

Swap the peas

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (rice, chicken, onion, pepper):

Sesamefits better
Black-eyed peafits better
Beansfits better
Peasthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against rice, chicken, onion, pepper. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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Split Pea Soup with Onion and Rice or Potato