Split Pea Soup

My sister-in-law hosted a wonderful Easter dinner for the family this year, as she does every year. She made lots of yummy family favorites and, much like I do when I prepare a holiday meal, there was enough food to feed a platoon of hungry soldiers. So of course, there were an abundance of leftovers. And while I love leftovers, I had my sights on only one thing: the coveted ham bone!

I can’t think of a better way to use up leftover ham than to prepare a big pot of an amazingly rich and savory split pea soup. I’ve been making this soup for years, and it’s practically become a family tradition to serve up a bowl the day after Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving holiday meals.

There is truly nothing fancy or fussy about this split pea soup. Everything cooks in a large stock pot for this recipe — no need to transfer ingredients or dirty a separate pot. The only trick is to make sure the pot is large enough to accommodate the ham bone and enough for water to cover it while simmering. The ham bone creates a delicious, smokey flavored broth. And once the peas dissolve, it becomes a creamy, savory soup. Keep in mind, you can still create this same wonderful soup without using leftover ham (see notes under Helping Hand below).

Thank you, Theresa and Doug, for a wonderful Easter dinner and my doggy bag. I used the ham bone to make a pot of soup, and it was so, so good.

And the tradition continues.

Worry-Free Cooking

• Everything can cook and simmer in a Large Stock Pot for this recipe — no need to transfer ingredients or dirty a separate pot. The size of this pot also ensures that water covers the ham bone while simmering, which is important to create the savory broth.
• Your top 10 essential kitchen tools will prove quite helpful for this recipe, especially a good Cutting Board and Chef’s Knife for the veggies, and a large Wooden Spoon and durable spoon rest for stirring the soup while simmering.

Menu Planning

• This is a hearty soup, and the best sides to serve with it are a chunk of crusty bread and a small fresh salad.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
• This soup is freezer friendly for sure. Spoon completely cooled soup into plastic freezer bags or an airtight container. Store in the freezer for up to three months. To reheat, simply thaw and reheat in a saucepan.

Helping Hand

• This recipe uses leftover ham and ham bone; however, that’s not an absolute requirement. A ham hock is an excellent substitute. Or you can easily use diced ham along with chicken or vegetable broth instead of water.
• Shredded carrots are the easiest way to go, though they do cost a little more. A good substitute is two to three whole carrots cleaned and chopped.
• This soup thickens the longer you let the soup simmer, so set on low and let it go. Stir occasionally to avoid sticking.
• My family prefers this soup with potatoes added. The soup is thick and hearty enough without the potatoes, so you can certainly leave them out. Good substitutes for whole potatoes are mashed potatoes (fresh or leftovers) or potato flakes. If using one of these substitutes, add during the last 30 minutes of cooking time. Use about a cup or more until you achieve the desired thickness.

Grocery & Gourmet

• This recipe uses Dried Green Split Peas, which does not require any presoaking before tossing into the pot. You’ll still want to rinse the peas thoroughly in cool water using a colander. Be sure to remove any dirty particles and small pebbles.

Split Pea Soup

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Category

Soup

Cuisine

American

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

2-3 hours

This no-fuss, budget friendly recipe uses dried split peas and leftover ham to create a delicious, hearty soup packed full of nutrients. A healthy and satisfying choice for lunch or dinner.

Ingredients

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1 cup of celery, including leaves, chopped

• 1½ cups ham cut from ham bone, chopped

• 1 meaty ham bone
• 12 cups of water

• 1 pound of dried split peas, cleaned and drained

• 2 russet potatoes, cleaned and cut into ½-inch cubes

• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon thyme

• ½ teaspoon pepper

• ½ teaspoon salt

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Directions

1. Add oil to a large stock pot and heat over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring constantly, for 5-8 minutes until the onions are tender and translucent.
2. Stir in carrots and celery. Continue cooking for another 3-4 minutes until vegetables start softening around the edges.
3. Add ham to the pot and cook another minute before adding the ham bone. Once ham bone is in the pot, add water.
4. Stir in the split peas, potatoes, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, salt, and pepper.

5. Reduce heat and simmer for about 2 to 2½ hours, stirring occasionally until the peas are tender and soup is thick (add more water, as needed, if the soup becomes too thick or dry while simmering).

6. Remove bay leaves and ham bone from pot. Pull any loose meat from the bone and chop it up and return the meat to the pot. Discard the bone and bay leaves.

Serve and enjoy!