Recipes

Lentil or Split Pea Soup

Recipe No. 532 from the U.S. Army's WWII cookbook — Soups. Quantities are exactly as printed, for 100 servings; a scaled-down 8-serving version is in the notes.

Army TM10-412 · Soup

Serves 6¼ gallons 100 servings, approximately one cup each.
View source — TM 10-412 Army Recipes (War Department, 1944) ↗

Recipe No. 532 from the U.S. Army’s WWII cookbook — Soups. Quantities are exactly as printed, for 100 servings; a scaled-down 8-serving version is in the notes.

Ingredients

  • Lentils or split peas — 8½ pounds (5 No. 56 dippers)
  • Water — 1¼ gallons (5 No. 56 dippers)
  • Ham stock — 5 gallons (20 No. 56 dippers)
  • Onions, diced — 1½ pounds (1½ No. 56 dippers)
  • Celery, diced — 1½ pounds (1½ No. 56 dippers)
  • Carrots, diced — 1½ pounds (1¼ No. 56 dippers)
  • Sugar, granulated — ¾ ounce (1½ mess kit spoons)
  • Salt — 2 ounces (4 mess kit spoons)
  • Pepper — (½ mess kit spoon)
  • Mustard, dry — (½ mess kit spoon)
  • Nutmeg, ground — (½ mess kit spoon)
  • Worcestershire sauce — (½ mess kit spoon)
  • Fat, melted — 10 ounces (⅓ No. 56 dipper)
  • Flour, sifted — 12 ounces (¾ No. 56 dipper)

Directions

Key ingredients

Mustard · Worcestershire Sauce

  1. Wash lentils or split peas. Cover with water; soak 5 hours or overnight.
  2. Prepare ham stock (recipe No. 520).
  3. Combine lentils or split peas, ham stock, onions, celery, carrots, sugar, salt, pepper, mustard and nutmeg; mix well.
  4. Cover and heat to boiling point; reduce heat and simmer 2 hours or until lentils or split peas are very soft.
  5. Rub through sieve.
  6. Add Worcestershire sauce; reheat.
  7. Mix melted fat and flour; stir until smooth. Add slowly to hot soup; mix thoroughly. Heat to boiling point; reduce heat and simmer about 20 minutes or until soup is slightly thick, stirring constantly.

Notes

SCALED TO 8 SERVINGS (the original is ÷12.5): Lentils or split peas — 11 oz Water — 1⅔ cups Ham stock — 1⅔ qt Onions, diced — 2 oz Celery, diced — 2 oz Carrots, diced — 2 oz Sugar, granulated — about ⅓ tsp Salt — about 1 tsp Pepper — scale to taste ((½ mess kit spoon)) Mustard, dry — scale to taste ((½ mess kit spoon)) Nutmeg, ground — scale to taste ((½ mess kit spoon)) Worcestershire sauce — scale to taste ((½ mess kit spoon)) Fat, melted — ¾ oz Flour, sifted — 1 oz

— TM 10-412, Army Recipes (War Department, 15 August 1944), recipe No. 532, Soups. Army measures: 1 No. 56 dipper = 1 qt; 1 No. 55 dipper = 1¾ qt; 1 mess kit cup = 1½ pints.