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Hearty Split Pea and Ham Soup

January 5, 2018 By Rachel 5 Comments

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Hearty Split Pea and Ham Soup – Warm yourself up with this flavorful winter soup. It’s so good, you may have to keep it a secret in order to enjoy those wonderful leftovers!

Hearty Split Pea and Ham Soup

I’ve been sitting on this recipe for Split Pea and Ham Soup since the inception of Simple Seasonal over 3 years ago and I’m not exactly sure why. It’s one of those recipes that has become a “family recipe” that’s looked forward to by all (except the one-year-old). 🙄 It’s so popular that I try not to let anyone else in the family know when I’m making it, lest everyone decides to “pay a visit” and eat my leftovers. 😉

Hearty Split Pea and Ham Soup

Every Christmas and Easter I buy a smoked honey ham when I can get one at a good price. Mr. Simple Seasonal and I then have a fancy ham dinner with the kids and then we feast on the leftovers in the form of ham sandwiches, omelets, and homemade soups. But if we’re really honest with ourselves, this soup is the whole reason I cook the ham in the first place. It’s so hearty, savory and satisfying. And the most important leftover? The ham bone, of course!

Hearty Ham Bone

Now onto the method of cooking split pea soup. Knowing what the heck to do with your ham bone is the hardest part of this recipe. If you’re considering making this soup and you’re new to cooking with a ham bone, then check out the photo of how I trimmed mine above. It’s actually super easy to do. You just need to trim the excess bits off of it with a knife and then plop the bone into the pot, but try not to make a splash!

Hearty Split Pea and Ham Soup Prep

I prefer to make my split pea soup in a stock pot on the stove. That way, I can sauté and sweeten the vegetables before adding the split peas and making the stock. If you’re in a pinch for time, however, this recipe is also perfect for throwing into a slow cooker. With that in mind, I’ve included both stove top and slow cooker directions on the recipe card below.

Hearty Split Pea and Ham Soup

Since this is my first blog post of 2018, here’s to wishing you and yours a warm start to the new year. I hope it’s filled with plenty of yummy meals shared with the ones you love. Happy New Year from Simple Seasonal!

Hearty Split Pea and Ham Soup
 
Print
Prep time
20 mins
Cook time
2 hours
Total time
2 hours 20 mins
 
Warm yourself up with this flavorful winter soup. It's so good, you may have to keep it a secret in order to enjoy those wonderful leftovers!
Author: Rachel Hanawalt
Recipe type: Soups
Cuisine: American
Serves: 7-8 servings
Ingredients
  • 3 Tbsp salted butter
  • 2½ C carrots cut into coins
  • 2 C chopped sweet yellow onion
  • 1½ C coarsely chopped celery
  • 3 cloves minced garlic
  • 1 Tbsp dry parsley
  • ¾ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • 1 hearty or lightly trimmed ham bone (see picture in blog post)*
  • 1 24 oz bag of rinsed and sorted dried green split peas**
  • 9 C water
  • 1½ C peeled and diced yellow potatoes
  • 1½ C diced ham
Instructions
  1. Melt 3 Tbsp of butter in a stock pot and then add the carrots, onion, and celery and cook for 3 minutes. Next, add the garlic, parsley, and black pepper and cook for 1 more minute. (This step adds a nice sweetness to the vegetables, but if you're making your soup in a slow cooker, just dump the ingredients into the cooker and skip sautéing the vegetables.)
  2. Add the ham bone, split peas, and water to the pot and stir to evenly combine the vegetables and split peas. Cook the soup at a simmer for 2-2½ hours. Stir the soup periodically and scrape the bottom of the pot to prevent burning. The soup can also be cooked in a slow cooker on high heat for 4-5 hours, or on low heat for 8-10 hours. Midway through your cooking time, add the potatoes to the pot so that they don't become too soft. The soup is done when the split peas are soft and breaking apart and the ham is falling off the bone.
  3. The last step is to remove the bone from the pot and any gristle that may have fallen off of it. Stir in 2 C of diced ham, bring back up to a simmer, and then remove the soup from the heat. Serve immediately. Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
*The ham bone should be trimmed so that excessive gristle and fat are removed, but a small amount of meat remains on the bone.
**When sorting the dried green split peas, remove any shriveled, brown, or black peas. Some peas will be a little lighter in color than the others and this is fine.
3.5.3229

Hearty Split Pea and Ham Soup

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Slow Cooker Beef and Vegetable Stew

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Filed Under: Beans and Legumes, Carrots, celery, Dietary Needs, Fall, Freezer Meal, Healthy, Meal Types, Meat, Eggs, and Dairy, Peas, Pork, Recipes, Seasons, Slow Cooker, Soups, Specific Audiences, Spring, Vegetables, Winter Tagged With: Carrots, celery, comfort food, freezer options, hame bone, leftover ham, onion, slow cooker options, soup, split pea

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Comments

  1. Kirsten says

    January 8, 2018 at 5:54 pm

    Rachel,
    My daughter came back from a French class trip to a Montreal ‘sugar shack’ raving about how they put maple syrup on EVERYTHING–including the split pea soup!
    Maybe that would entice the 1 yr old?!
    Looks yummy–thanks!

    Reply
    • Tree says

      January 18, 2018 at 2:17 pm

      Split pea soup is awesome with a drizzle of maple syrup! Another good topper is a swirl of Good Sherry wine!

      Reply
      • Rachel says

        February 15, 2018 at 12:00 pm

        I like the maple syrup idea!

        Reply
  2. Julie @ Willow Bird Baking says

    January 8, 2018 at 6:41 pm

    This sounds so comforting and delicious right now!

    Reply
    • Rachel says

      February 15, 2018 at 12:14 pm

      Perfect for a chilly day! 🙂

      Reply

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Hi, I'm Rachel! Welcome to Simple Seasonal, a resource for simple, healthful, and delicious recipes that help you make the most of seasonal produce from your local farmer's market, CSA, or home garden. Simple Seasonal is committed to a whole foods diet. With an occasional cookie... ;)


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