Split Pea Soup
Split Pea Soup is a cozy, hearty classic loaded with tender split peas, smoky ham, and vegetables. Naturally creamy and perfect for leftovers.
Servings: 6
Calories: 590kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups dried split peas green or yellow
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion chopped
- 3 ribs celery chopped
- 2 medium carrots peeled and chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 4 cups chicken broth low sodium or no sodium added
- 4 cups water
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1½ pound meaty ham bone or ham shanks
Instructions
- Rinse your peas thoroughly then add them to a pot and cover with 2 quarts of cold water. Soak over night.
- 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.
- Pour in the chicken broth, water and stir. Add the split peas, bay leaf, dried thyme and ham bone. Bring to a boil over medium high heat then reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for about 1½ hours.
- Carefully remove the bone from the soup, cut off the meat and dice it. Return the meat back to the soup. Cook on low for another 30 minutes or until soup has thickened. Discard bay leaf and serve.
Notes
- For a faster method of soaking peas, simmer them for 2 minutes, then soak for one hour.
- 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.
- You should always rinse your peas thoroughly before soaking or cooking to remove any dirt particles.
- 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.
- Add a little smoked paprika to the soup to enhance the smokiness of the ham.
- If you don't have quite enough ham for your soup, adding some cooked bacon really helps to amp up the flavor.
- 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.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 590kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 44g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 70mg | Sodium: 1442mg | Potassium: 1264mg | Fiber: 18g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 3589IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 80mg | Iron: 5mg
