Name: Andersen's Split Pea Soup
Ingredients: 8 cups water; 2 cups green split peas; 1 stalk celery, coarsely chopped; 1 large carrot, chopped; 1 small onion, chopped; ¼ tsp thyme; dash red pepper; 1 bay leaf; salt, pepper

Why it works: Celery and carrot match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 10,173 recipes. Both carry myristicin, which smells spice, warm. The science ↓

Andersen's Split Pea Soup

Time20 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Mix water, peas, celery, carrot, onion, thyme, red pepper and bay leaf in large kettle.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Boil vigorously for 20 minutes, then reduce heat.
Cover and simmer until split peas are tender.
Press soup through a fine sieve and reheat to boiling point.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

157Calories

7 gProtein

1 gFat

32 gCarbs

Counts 9 of 10 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 9 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Pea	1/2 cup (72g)	62
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Carrot	1 medium (61g)	25
Chili	1 tsp (2.7g)	8
Celery	1 stalk (40g)	6
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Thyme	1 tsp dried (1.4g)	4
Bay Leaf	1 leaf (0.6g)	2
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.

Celery + carrottop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together10,173 recipes

Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).
Carrot + thymetop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together4,563 recipes

Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
Celery + thymetop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together3,193 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Thyme + peppertop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together11,585 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Celery + peppertop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together16,012 recipes

Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

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 simmering to thicken the soup and give it body.
Carrot: Adds natural sweetness and body as it softens during simmering.
Onion: Builds savory depth as it softens into the broth.
Celery: Contributes aromatic flavor to the broth as it cooks.

The step that matters

Press soup through a fine sieve. Split peas must be fully tender before sieving, since undercooked peas stay grainy and will not pass smoothly through the sieve, leaving a rough texture.

Swap the peas

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (celery, carrot, onion, thyme, pepper):

Black-eyed peafits better
Beansfits better
Lentilsfits better
Peasthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against celery, carrot, onion, thyme, 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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Andersen's Split Pea Soup