Soup-er Tuesday: This split pea soup with hot dogs instead of ham is actually good

Look, I know this sounds insanely weird, but queen of the internet Chrissy Teigen is onto something with her split pea soup with crispy hot dogs recipe.

That is, if you’re someone who likes hot dogs.

Personally, I can’t go to a baseball game without a hot dog, but after I shared with some friends that I was making this recipe, I quickly learned that hot dogs are not everyone’s cup of tea.

And I totally get it. I could not tell you what kind of meat is used for a ball park frank (it’s pork, right?), so it makes sense that people just don’t do hot dogs.

The good thing is, you can still totally use ham, bacon or pancetta -- or even a different kind of sausage instead of the hot dogs.

However, if you’re first in line for a grilled hot dog on the Fourth of July, you will love this recipe.

This recipe is in Teigen’s first cookbook, “Cravings,” which you should totally buy if you don’t own it already.

Not only is this recipe worth it, but Teigen’s book is full of recipes of dishes you really want to eat. I’m talking breakfast casseroles, chicken noodle soup, hearty salads and lots and lots of carbs.

The recipe is really easy to follow. If you’ve ever made homemade split pea soup, the process will look familiar to you.

You’ll start by sautéing onions and sliced hot dogs. You really want to get a good sear on the hot dogs because it really brings out that grilled hot dog flavor. Add celery and carrots, then your split peas and water and let the soup do its thing.

The first time I made this soup, I let it simmer for just more than an hour, and the soup got super thick and creamy, almost like baby food. If you like your split pea soup that way, you’ll want to cook it like that. The second time, I did about 50 minutes and it was slightly thinner.

What really elevates this soup is that you crisp up some more hot dogs to garnish on top, as well as homemade croutons made with hot dog buns. That’s right, folks, Teigen even has you getting use of the buns.

The crispy hot dogs on top were the perfect crunch, and the buttery buns as croutons is borderline genius. It was so good.

I know this recipe is a little out there, but if you want to eat a soup that’s a little wacky and fun, this is just for you.

You can find it in Teigen’s cook book “Cravings,” online by clicking or tapping here, or you could check out some of these good blogs that did their own takes on it here and here.