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Split Pea Soup
5 from 540 votes

Split Pea Soup

Split Pea Soup simmers dried split peas with ham bone, onions, celery, garlic, carrots, and aromatic herbs in chicken broth and water. The long cooking breaks down peas into a thick, hearty soup enriched by the smokiness of ham. Bay leaves and thyme add subtle herbal notes, and the soup finishes with fresh parsley garnish for brightness.

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
1 hr 45 mins
Total Time
2 hrs
Servings: 6
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American

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

    Cup of Yum
  1. 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.
  2. 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).
  3. 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.
  4. Remove ham from soup, let rest 10 minutes then shred or dice meat portion into pieces, cover.
  5. Meanwhile add carrots* to soup. Cover soup and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until peas have mostly broken down, about 30 minutes longer**.
  6. 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.