Split Pea Soup With Gouda-sausage Toasts

Total Time: 50 mins Preparation Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 1 lb dried split peas
• 1 lb smoked sausage, split lengthwise (such as kielbasa)
• 4 (14 1/2 ounce) cans low sodium chicken broth
• 2 onions, chopped
• 3 large celery ribs, chopped
• 4 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme, crumbled
• 1 large bay leaf
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 1/2 cups firmly packed shredded gouda cheese (about 10 ounces)
• strong german mustard
• 1 sourdough baguette, cut into 12 1/2-inch slices and toasted

Recipe

• 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.
• 2 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.
• 3 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.