Split Pea Soup
User Reviews
5
Split Pea Soup
Description
This Split Pea Soup recipe begins by sautéing onions, celery, and garlic to build a flavorful base. Adding unsalted chicken broth, water, dried split peas, bay leaves, thyme, and a meaty ham bone creates a rich cooking liquid. The soup simmers for around 60 to 80 minutes until peas and ham become tender, followed by the addition of chopped carrots and further simmering to thicken the soup as peas partially break down. Removing the ham bone and shredding the meat back into the pot ensures tender chunks throughout.
The resulting soup combines creamy texture from cooked split peas and a deep savory flavor layered by the ham and herbs. Serving garnished with fresh chopped parsley adds a fresh herbal note. This soup is filling and warming, ideal for colder days.
Optional variations include adding potatoes with carrots for extra body, using a slow cooker or Instant Pot to simplify and speed up cooking, and adjusting liquid amounts depending on cooking method. Simmering uncovered near the end thickens the soup further. The soup thickens more as it cools and can be thinned with water if needed.
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion (1 medium)
- 1 1/4 cups celery about 3 ribs, chopped
- 1 tsp garlic 1 clove, minced
- 4 cups chicken broth unsalted
- 4 cups water
- 1 (16 oz) bag split peas picked over and rinsed, dried
- 2 bay leaf
- 1 1/2 tsp thyme or 1/2 tsp dried, chopped fresh
- salt freshly ground
- black pepper freshly ground
- 1 1/2 lb ham bone or ham shanks, meaty
- 1 cup carrot chopped
- parsley for garnish (optional, chopped, fresh
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and celery and saute 3 minutes. Add garlic and saute 1 minute longer.
- Pour in chicken broth and water. Add split peas, bay leaves and thyme. Season lightly with salt and with pepper to taste (I like to wait to add more salt until the end to see how salty the ham has made the soup).
- Nestle ham bone into soup mixture. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce to low. Cover and let simmer, stirring occasionally until peas and ham are tender, about 60 - 80 minutes.
- Remove ham from soup, let rest 10 minutes then shred or dice meat portion into pieces, cover.
- Meanwhile add carrots* to soup. Cover soup and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until peas have mostly broken down, about 30 minutes longer**.
- Stir ham into soup, season with more salt as needed. Serve warm garnished with parsley if desired.
Notes
- You can add diced yellow or red potatoes with carrots for more hearty texture.
- If soup isn’t thickening during cooking, let it simmer uncovered for the last 30 minutes.
- The soup thickens as it cools; thin with water if needed when reheating.
- In a slow cooker, reduce water to 2 cups; cook on low for 7-8 hours, then shred ham and add back.
- For Instant Pot, sauté aromatics first, then cook all ingredients on manual for 15 minutes with natural pressure release.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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