Split Pea Soup

Cozy and delicious Split Pea Soup is protein-packed, and incredibly nourishing. Made with plenty of vegetables and tender shredded ham, all simmered together until richly flavored, thick and creamy. The perfect comfort food for colder months!

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 2 45

Total Time 2 50

Servings servings

Calories 388

Author Kim

Ingredients

1 1/2 large yellow onions diced
2 large carrots peeled and diced
3 medium stalks celery diced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt or to taste (add slowly, as ham hocks can be very salty)
1 (16-ounce) bag green split peas
2 ham hocks (they usually come in packs of two) see note
8 cups water
optional for serving: croutons, fresh herbs, freshly grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a very large pot. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to simmer for two hours.
After two hours, remove ham hocks carefully from soup and cut meat off the bone. Place meat back in soup and discard hocks.
Bring soup back to a boil and cook on medium/high heat for another 30-45 minutes until desired thickness. I like my pea soup really thick, so I usually boil it for the full 45 mins.
Season to taste, garnish and enjoy.

Notes

Storage: To store, transfer it to an airtight storage container and let it cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate; the soup will keep for 3 to 4 days.
Freezing: Soup can be frozen for up to 3 to 4 months. You will notice a slight change in texture. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
To reheat, gently warm the soup in a saucepan until heated. You can also reheat individual portions in the microwave at 50% power until heated.

Ham options: There are a few options for the ham. Whatever method you use, try to get a ham bone with as much meat as possible, not only does this deliver more flavor in the soup, but it also means you'll have more shredded 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. If you don't have a leftover ham bone, you can always ask the butcher at the grocery store for leftover ham bones.
Ham hocks: Ham hocks (or ham shanks) are a ham bone, so these too are already smoked (cooked through). These are usually sold in the meat section of the store, or can be found in the deli. If you can't find them, use a grocery locator app or ask the butcher in the store.
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. We like to have about 2 up to 2-1/2 cups of ham in this soup. If you decide the soup will need extra ham, add some shredded or diced ham to the soup about 10 minutes before it will be done cooking.

Nutrition