When you want a hearty soup without babysitting a long ingredient list, this jar mix does the heavy lifting for you. Palouse Soup Mix packs split peas, lentils, barley, pasta or rice, and dried vegetables into one make-ahead pantry staple you can turn into dinner with water or stock.
I love soup. I especially enjoy it during the fall and winter months when snow is on the ground and everyone needs a little pick-me-up. This recipe takes less than 15 minutes to prepare and will keep in your pantry for up to two years.
It is especially handy when the weather turns mean and everyone suddenly remembers soup exists. You mix it once, stash it in jars, and scoop out what you need later for an easy pot of rustic soup with plenty of texture and body.
Stored in an airtight jar in a cool, dry cupboard, this dry mix keeps best for about 12 months for best quality, which is a conservative estimate based on the dried pasta and seasonings in the blend. Dry goods stay safe longer when kept dry, but flavor and texture gradually slip, so label the jar and use the oldest one first. Once cooked, refrigerate leftover soup within 2 hours and use it within 3 to 4 days. For more on handling leftovers safely, the USDA recommends using cooked leftovers within 3 to 4 days.
Palouse Soup Mix Recipe
You’ll Need:
- 2 1/2 cups green split peas
- 2 1/2 cups lentils
- 2 1/2 cups pearl barley
- 2 cups alphabet macaroni, or brown rice
- 1 cup dried onion flakes
- 1/2 cup celery flakes
- 1/2 cup parsley flakes
- 1 1/2 teaspoons thyme (optional)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons white pepper (optional)
- Sage leaf (optional)
Combine all of the dry ingredients in a very large bowl, then stir until the peas, lentils, barley, pasta, and seasonings are evenly distributed. Transfer the mixture to vacuum-sealed bags or airtight jars, then give the jar a quick shake or stir before each use so the smaller flakes do not settle to the bottom.
Expert Tip: Use a wide-mouth canning funnel when you fill jars. It keeps the flakes in the jar instead of all over the counter, which is cheaper than sweeping thyme into the trash and calling it rustic.
To Use:
Combine 1 cup soup mix with 4 cups water or seasoned stock in a large pan. If you’d like a heartier soup, add 1 to 2 cups cooked chopped meat. Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer gently for 45 to 60 minutes, or until the peas are tender. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, if desired.
One batch makes about 10 cups of dry mix, which works out to roughly 18 one-cup dry-mix servings. Each 1-cup portion makes a generous pot of soup, enough for about 4 entrée bowls depending on what you add to it. If you like keeping pantry jars ready to go, pair this one with Dozen Bean Pot Soup Mix or Veggie Rice Soup Mix in a Mug.
Store the dry mix in airtight jars or vacuum-sealed bags in a cool, dry pantry away from heat and moisture. For best quality, use the mix within 12 months. After cooking, cool leftover soup in shallow containers, refrigerate promptly, and use within 3 to 4 days. Freeze cooked soup for up to 2 to 3 months if you want a ready-made meal later.
Notes: The original directions allow either alphabet macaroni or brown rice. Macaroni cooks a little faster and gives the soup a softer texture, while brown rice keeps it a bit heartier and less starchy. Prep time is an estimate based on measuring and mixing the dry ingredients.
💸 Budget101® Price Breakdown: Palouse Soup Mix
Ingredient |
Walmart Item |
Pkg Price |
Amount Used |
Cost Used |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Green split peas |
$1.98 |
2 1/2 C. |
$2.14 |
|
Lentils |
$1.98 |
2 1/2 C. |
$2.10 |
|
Pearl barley |
$2.48 |
2 1/2 C. |
$1.82 |
|
Alphabet macaroni or brown rice |
$0.92 |
2 C. |
$0.43 |
|
Dried onion flakes |
$2.98 |
1 C. |
$1.58 |
|
Celery flakes |
$1.68 |
1/2 C. ≈ 1 count ≈ 0.5 cup(s) |
$0.19 |
|
Parsley flakes |
$1.24 |
1/2 C. |
$1.05 |
|
Thyme |
$1.24 |
1 1/2 t. |
$0.09 |
|
White pepper |
$2.48 |
1 1/2 t. |
$0.10 |
💸 |
Cost |
|---|---|
🧾 Total Batch Cost |
$9.50 |
👨👩👧👦 Cost Per Serving |
$0.53 |
📅 Walmart prices last verified August 26, 2026. Prices may vary by location and are subject to change. Learn how to calculate the cost of a recipe on your own!
Frequently Asked Questions about Palouse Soup Mix
You can, and the directions already allow for it. Use the same 2 cups, but expect the finished soup to be a little heartier and less silky because rice releases starch differently than pasta during the 45 to 60 minute simmer.
Plan on about 4 cups of broth plus the volume from the grains and legumes, so one 1-cup portion makes a pot big enough for roughly 4 entrée bowls or 6 smaller starter servings. If you add 1 to 2 cups of cooked meat, you will stretch it even further without watering down the flavor.
Not before you build the jar, because moisture shortens storage life in a hurry. Rinse the 1-cup portion right before cooking if you want to remove dust or catch the occasional stray bit from the bag.
That is normal here because split peas, lentils, barley, and pasta all keep absorbing liquid after cooking. Just stir in 1/2 to 1 cup of hot water or stock at a time until it loosens back to the texture you want.
Absolutely. Cook it in a seasoned vegetable stock instead of plain water, and add a little extra onion, celery, or a bay leaf if you want deeper flavor without meat. The legumes and barley already give the soup plenty of body.
Cooked chopped ham, leftover roast beef, turkey, or chicken all work well. Add 1 to 2 cups near the beginning of the simmer so the meat heats through and shares its flavor with the broth instead of tasting like an afterthought.
You can halve everything cleanly and end up with about 5 cups of mix, which is easier if pantry space is tight. Keep the cooking ratio the same later: 1 cup mix to 4 cups water or stock.
Use an airtight glass jar, food-safe plastic container, or vacuum-sealed bag and keep it away from heat, light, and moisture. Wide-mouth jars are especially handy because you can stir the mix before scooping, which keeps all those little herb flakes from hiding at the bottom.
If the herbs smell flat, the pasta looks chalky or cracked, or you see any moisture clumping, it is time to toss it. Dry mixes do not usually fail with drama, they just fade into blandness and disappointment first.
Serve it with a crusty loaf of bread, cornbread, or a simple green salad so the soup can stay the star. If you want to round it out for a bigger meal, add a sandwich or roasted vegetables and call dinner handled.
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🖨️ Print-Friendly Palouse Soup Mix
Palouse Soup Mix
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups green split peas
- 2 ½ cups lentils
- 2 ½ cups pearl barley
- 2 cups alphabet macaroni or brown rice
- 1 cup dried onion flakes
- ½ cup celery flakes
- ½ cup parsley flakes
- 1 ½ teaspoons thyme optional
- 1 ½ teaspoons white pepper optional
- Sage leaf optional
Equipment
Instructions
- Combine the green split peas, lentils, pearl barley, alphabet macaroni or brown rice, dried onion flakes, celery flakes, parsley flakes, thyme, white pepper, and sage leaf, if using, in a very large mixing bowl.
- Stir well until the ingredients are evenly distributed.
- Transfer the mix to airtight jars or vacuum-seal bags.
- Stir or shake the container before each use.
- To cook, combine 1 cup of soup mix with 4 cups of water or seasoned stock in a large pan.
- Add 1 to 2 cups cooked chopped meat, if desired.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer gently for 45 to 60 minutes, or until the peas are tender.
- Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, if desired.
Recipe Size Alteration
💡 If you altered the ingredients above by doubling or tripling the recipe, you may also need to change the pan/dish size and adjust the cook time.
Notes
Servings are estimated from the 10-cup batch yield using 1 cup dry mix per batch.
Prep time is an estimate based on measuring and mixing the ingredients.
For best quality, store the dry mix in an airtight container in a cool, dry pantry and use within 12 months.
Cooked soup should be refrigerated promptly and used within 3 to 4 days.
I didn’t have any of the ingredients for available for veggie soup, so I looked up recipes online and found a recipe that sounded good. It was just vegetables and spices mixed together to make your own mix, with instructions on how to cook it. So I put my recipe in plastic containers that would be easy to give away as gifts this Christmas time.