Split Pea Soup

This one-pot Split Pea Soup is tremendously heart-warming and comforting, and absolutely ideal to make with that leftover Holiday ham. A hearty soup loaded with tender split peas, delicious ham and lots of veggies!

A Fabulous Split Pea Soup

This is one of the most comforting and hearty soups out there. During the Holidays, especially at Christmas, I usually cook up my amazing Baked Ham and this year was no exception. So that’s my excuse for adding lots of ham in my soup. Plus it really makes this Split Pea Soup recipe extra incredibly delicious.

Did you know split peas have amazing nutritional benefits? They’re low in fat, high in soluble fiber, high in protein, and are a good source of several vitamins and minerals, including potassium, iron and magnesium. This is one great way to get your family to eat healthy, and without them even knowing it.

Split Pea Soup Highlights

DELICIOUS AND HEARTY. Once sip of this soup and you will understand what I mean about delicious. It’s also incredibly hearty, you will always leave the table full. Pair it with some fresh homemade bread to round out this meal.

ONE POT. This soup is made all in one pot, making cleanup a breeze!

PERFECT FOR LEFTOVERS. This is the absolute perfect recipe when you have leftover cooked ham. You could just make split pea soup without the meat, but the added ham really brings immense flavors together.

EASY TO MAKE. Although this is a really easy recipe, it does take a bit of time as all ingredients need a low, slow and longer cook time to enhance the flavors. Patience makes this dish fantastic.

MAKE AHEAD. This soup is great to enjoy throughout the week, and freezer friendly too!

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Split peas – Lots of dried split peas, either green or yellow are used. They need to soak in water to soften up.
• Olive oil – I use olive oil to sauté the onion, celery, carrots and garlic.
• Garlic – I love adding some fresh garlic to this soup for some extra flavor.
• Mirepoix – The soup trifecta consisting of onion, celery and carrots which are a must in most soups.
• Chicken broth or stock – I like to use both chicken broth and water for the stock as the broth will provide some additional flavoring. I usually tend to go with a low sodium broth so that I can adjust the sodium in my soup to my taste. You can use store bought or homemade.
• Spices and herbs – I use dried thyme and also some salt and pepper to taste.
• Ham – Use either a meaty ham bone or ham shanks to slowly cook and create the soup stock. My ham, however, didn’t have a bone, but I still add it while cooking the soup because it still adds lots of flavor.

How To Make Split Pea Soup

1. Soak the split peas. Add the split peas to a Dutch oven or soup pot and cover with 2 quarts of cold water. Soak over night. For a faster method of soaking peas, simmer them for 2 minutes, then soak for one hour. Drain.
2. Saute the vegetables. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, carrots and cook for about 3 to 5 minutes until the vegetables soften and the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for another 30 seconds or until aromatic.
3. Add remaining ingredients. Pour in the chicken broth, water and stir. Add the drained split peas, bay leaf, dried thyme and ham (with or without bone) and then bring to a boil over medium high heat. Once it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low and cover and simmer for about 1½ hours.
4. Finish the soup. Carefully remove the ham from the soup, cut off the meat and dice it. Return the chopped meat back to the soup and cook on low for another 30 minutes or until soup has thickened. Make sure you discard the bay leaf now! Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper as needed.

Is Split Pea Soup Healthy?

This soup is hearty, filling, so flavorful, and yes, healthy! In addition to the vegetables and chicken broth, split peas are high in protein and fiber, making them very nutritional.

Can You Soak Split Peas For Too Long?

It is possible to soak beans for too long before cooking. Beans should soak for 8 to 10 hours overnight. If they are soaked for longer than 12 hours, they can lose their familiar flavor and become overly mushy.

What Goes Best With Split Pea Soup?

The best accompaniment to a hearty bowl of split pea soup is good bread and cheese, like a tangy blue cheese or goat cheese, or something strong-tasting which offsets and compliments the richness of the pea soup.

Expert Tips

1. For a faster method of soaking peas, simmer them for 2 minutes, then soak for one hour.
2. If you’re looking for an extra creamy soup, take about 1/4 to 1/3 of the soup (without the ham) and use an immersion blender until its smooth.
3. You should always rinse your peas thoroughly before soaking or cooking to remove any dirt particles.
4. If it looks like your soup is too watery, remember the longer it cooks, the thicker it gets. Not only that but it also gets thicker when cooling.
5. Add a little smoked paprika to the soup to enhance the smokiness of the ham.
6. If you don’t have quite enough ham for your soup, adding some cooked bacon really helps to amp up the flavor.

Leftovers

Split pea soup can be kept refrigerated for about 1 week, or frozen for up to 3 months. To freeze, cool the soup completely, then transfer to freezer containers or bags. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, or gently warm the frozen soup in a saucepan over low heat on the stove top.

More Delicious Recipes You’ll Love

• Crockpot Brown Sugar Cola Glazed Ham
• Leftover Ham and Cheese Penne
• Crockpot Honey Mustard Glazed Ham
• Christmas Punch
• Japanese Cheesecake
• Black Eyed Peas Recipe
• Sautéed Peas