Dad's favorite split pea soup is a cure for what ails you

This recipe for Vegetarian Split Pea Soup with Dill is my dad's favorite soup, and I love making it for him. He requests it for all occasions. After surgery, people sent him get-well cards and flowers. To me, he said, "Please bring over the soup." Pulled tooth? "Karen, please bring over the soup." Whenever I ask him how I can help on any given day, he always answers, "make the soup." Listen to my dad - make the soup.

To keep the veggies "hidden" from the suspicious eyes of any anti-vegetarians, don't forget to puree your final product. Invest in an immersion blender to avoid the hassle and mess of transferring your soup to a blender. Friend to friend, let me offer you a tried-and-true way to convince my little eaters to try new soups: Give them a separate small bowl of tiny croutons to sprinkle on top. I'm not sure why adding their own toppings makes food more appealing to kids, but it works over here every time! This recipe is dairy-free, vegetarian, nut-free, sesame-free, gluten-free and egg-free.

• Karen Nochimowski is the author of "6-Minute Dinners (& More!)," a newly released cookbook filled with of more than 100 simple and delicious recipes with six ingredients or fewer, including nut-free and allergy-friendly options, to help busy families get dinner on the table with ease. Karen also started and runs Momma Chef's Soup Kitchen and Momma Chef's Little Free Pantries in Chicago, which provides food at no cost to those in need around Chicago. So far Karen has provided more than 20,000 meals and over 15,000 pounds of nonperishable food. Part of the proceeds from the cookbook will go toward these projects. Find more recipes at mommachef.com or find her on Twitter and Instagram @TheMommaChef.

Vegetarian Split Pea Soup With Dill

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 cup dry green split peas

1 (8-ounce) bag baby carrots

6 cups vegetable broth

1 teaspoon dried dill

In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat, and sauté the onion for 3 minutes.

Add the split peas and carrots, and cook for another 2 minutes.

Add the vegetable broth and dill, and stir to combine.

Partially cover the pot, and cook for 45 minutes until the peas are very tender.

Remove from the heat, and puree the soup in small batches in a blender, food processor or with an immersion blender until smooth. When using a blender or food processor, be very careful as the heat will expand in the container.

Serves 6

Karen Nochimowski from "6-Minute Dinners (and More!)"