Split Pea Soup

5 from 3 votes

Split Pea Soup is thick, creamy, and packed with veggies, split peas, and tender ham—humble-looking but bursting with flavor!

Prep Time20

Cook Time1 30

Total Time1 50

Course: Dinner, Soup

Cuisine: American, Healthy

Keyword: split pea soup

Servings: servings

Author: Chelsea Lords

Cost: $6.23

Equipment

Large pot 5.5 quart or larger
Blender

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups finely diced onion 2 medium onions
1 cup finely diced carrot 2 to 3 large carrots
1 cup finely diced celery 3 to 4 stalks
Salt and pepper see note 1
1 tablespoon minced garlic 4 cloves
1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1-1/2 cups dried fresh split peas rinsed; old split peas may not soften
2 small bay leaves or 1 large
1 meaty ham bone or ham hocks, see note 3, plus more ham if desired
8 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
Fresh thyme leaves optional
Hearty buttered bread for serving

US - Metric

Instructions

In a large (5.5 quart or larger) heavy-bottomed pot, heat the olive oil. Add onion, carrot, celery, and salt/pepper to taste (I add 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper). Cook until veggies are softened and onion is beginning to turn golden, 5–8 minutes. Add garlic, Italian seasoning, cumin, thyme, red pepper flakes, and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add rinsed split peas and mix through.
Add ham bone, bay leaf, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, 60–90 minutes (see note 4), stirring occasionally so the peas don’t catch on the bottom of the pot. Cook until peas are cooked and soup is thickened to desired consistency. Stir a bit more frequently as the soup begins to thicken. Add a splash more broth if it gets too thick for your preference. If adding additional ham, add it during the last 10 minutes of cooking.
When ready to serve, remove ham bone and shred off as much meat as you can. Discard the bone(s) and fat. Return ham to soup. (I like about 2 cups, so if your ham comes up short, you may want to add additional chopped ham.) Remove and discard bay leaves. Remove 2 cups of the soup and blend (see note 5) until completely smooth. Return blended puree to the soup pot and mix through. Taste and season, adding additional salt/pepper as needed.
Ladle soup into bowls and serve with hearty buttered bread, a sprinkle of pepper, and fresh thyme, if using. Enjoy!

Notes

Note 1: Add salt slowly and to taste. Ham hocks are salty (saltier than a ham bone), so you may not need any salt. If you are sensitive to salt and using ham hocks, replace 2 cups of chicken broth with water.

Note 2: There are a few options for the ham. Whatever method you use, try to get a ham bone with as much meat as possible—this delivers more flavor in the soup and means you’ll have more ham in the final dish.

Leftover ham bone: If you’ve baked a holiday ham, save the bone (and leave a good amount of meat on it) for this soup. You can also ask a butcher at the grocery store for leftover ham bones.
Ham hocks: Ham hocks are a ham bone, so these are already cooked through. They are usually sold in the meat section of the store or can be found in the deli.
Adding extra ham: If your leftover ham bone is fairly bare or the ham hock(s) are less than 1-3/4 pounds, you’ll probably want some extra ham—I like to have 2 up to 2-1/2 cups of ham in this soup. Just add some shredded or diced ham about 10 minutes before it will be done cooking.
More flavorful broth: With a bare ham bone or small ham hocks, you may need to add some extra chicken bouillon powder or salt to the broth to ensure there is enough flavor.

Note 3: The cooking time can vary a lot, but here are few cues to look for: The ham should shred off the bone very easily and split peas should be tender, though if you prefer a creamier texture, continue cooking until peas soften and begin to fall apart. If the soup seems too thick, add some water/broth and remove from heat. (You can always cook more if you want peas more tender or the soup thicker).

Note 4: Be sure to remove the center knob from the blender lid and replace it with a clean kitchen towel to avoid splatters. The blender needs to be able to release the steam!

Storage: Store this soup in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days. It thickens as it stores, so you’ll need to add some chicken broth to thin. Soup will freeze well for up to 2–3 months. Here are some best methods for thawing frozen soup.

Nutrition