Vegan pea soup

This is a variation on a common Dutch recipe: erwtensoep (or sometimes snert, especially if it's so thick it's almost like a pudding). The traditional version is far from vegan, but this one is depending on how you prepare it.

I originally got this recipe from a friend who made it at a party, but modified it a little. It is certainly very well suited for large groups of people.

Ingredients

This is about 4L of soup, or at least 5 portions.

• 500g split peas
• 1 butternut squash (~1000g), skin removed and cubed
• about 500g carrots, cut in pieces
• about 3-4 sweet potatoes, cut in pieces
• a few small potatoes, cut in pieces
• a few garlic cloves, roughly cut
• finely chopped ginger or ginger paste
• 2 onions, cut in pieces
• 2 boullion cubes (pick vegan ones if you want to keep it vegan)
• 1 tablespoon cumin powder
• 1 tablesppon curry powder
• 1 tablespoon paprika powder
• a bit of (summer/winter) savory, if you have it
• 1 spanish pepper (or less) cut thinly
• juice of 1 lemon
• vegetarian or vegan smoked sausage, for example this one (not vegan) prepared according to the package

The precise amount of ingredients doesn't matter much, you can vary with any kind of root vegetables and such. Also make sure not to put too much in the pan: it's easy to go over the 4L limit.

Tools

• Big pan (at least 4L).

Preparation

1. Add the split peas in the pan with 2L water. Let it cook for 1-1½ hour. If a foam appears on the top, you can scoop it off (it is somewhat bitter).
2. Add all the other ingredients except for the lemon juice and the smoked sausage. You don't need to add all the vegetables at once, just cut them and gradually add them to the pan. I recommend starting with cutting as soon as you add the split peas to the water, cutting everything will take a while.
3. Cook for 1-1½ hour more, until the pumpkin starts falling apart.
4. Cut the smoked sausage in slices and add it to the soup.
5. Add salt to taste.
6. Add the lemon juice.