The Hearty Addition Ina Garten Swears By For This Classic Soup

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There is hardly a thrill of spice or unexpected crunch to make split pea soup a standout at restaurants or dinner parties. It is, however, immensely comforting. From making your split pea soup in a slow cooker to simmering it on the stovetop, this dish is simple enough to customize as you please. Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa herself, might have just the thing to take your bowl from tasty to downright irresistible: kielbasa sausage.

According to Garten, she drew inspiration from her own childhood while developing this smoky, savory topper. "One of my all-time favorite comfort foods is a bowl of split pea soup, dating back to the days when my mother served us canned pea soup with cut-up hot dogs (very '50s!)," Garten wrote in her 2020 cookbook, "Modern Comfort Food." While you certainly can add hot dogs to your soup if you're in a pinch, kielbasa gives the soup a sophisticated, ever-so Barefoot Contessa twist. After all, what is kielbasa if not a grown-up hot dog?

For Garten, adding kielbasa to split pea soup is a callback to a nostalgic serving style for the classic soup. The taste of smoky, savory, well-spiced kielbasa complements the meaty taste of ham hocks or bacon, which are common additions to this soup. It can also add substance, taking it from side to main course. Thankfully, executing this meal can be as simple as Garten suggested.

Ina Garten achieves wonderful bites of kielbasa by cooking it separately from the soup. The sausage is sliced and browned in a pan, adding depth of flavor and a crunchy exterior that pairs well with the creamy soup base — just the things that bring this classic soup to a new level of deliciousness. You can also perk it up with other ingredients. Sautéing your sausage with onions and peppers, and adding all three to your soup will really give it a punch of spice and dimension.

If you don't have a go-to store-bought sausage brand that offers kielbasa, you can still give your soup a meaty kick. Do as Garten's mother did and add hot dogs to the mix. Just make sure to slice and pan-fry them to give them a crispy coating. You can also use canned meat, such as Spam, for a real budget-friendly alternative. Or, if you still want sausage but don't care for kielbasa, bratwurst is another great choice.

For a creamier, blended soup, adding a bit of sauerkraut (along with the sausage) can add the perfect dash of tanginess. If fermented cabbage isn't your thing, you can also add a dollop of sour cream, which gives a similar tang but with a smooth texture and fresher, more pungent taste that complements your kielbasa and cuts through the rich base. However you dress it, adding sausage to split pea soup is another clever, Garten-approved cooking tip.