It’s really easy to make with a bag of split peas, a handful of veggies, and ham simmered until tender and thick. This soup is just as good (if not better) the next day and it freezes beautifully for future meals.
A Family Favorite Soup
Pea soup is a recipe that has been a staple for generations.
It has a thick creamy consistency and delicious flavor. It’s made without cream so it has fewer calories than most creamy soups. Uses simple ingredients you likely have on hand and it’s budget-friendly. It is full of fiber and protein, so it will really fill you up.
Ingredients for Split Pea Soup
Split Peas – Dried split peas are inexpensive and easy to find. While they resemble a lentil, they’re actually a type of dried pea. You can use green or yellow split peas. Canadian Split Pea soup is most often made with yellow peas but green are a little bit sweeter. Vegetables – A mirepoix is a mixture of onion, celery, and carrots and this is the base of flavor for this soup. Add a few cloves of chopped garlic if you’d like. Ham – This soup is a great way to use a ham bone or leftover ham from a Sunday supper. The ham bone adds extra flavor to the broth if you have one. If you don’t have a ham bone, replace some of the water for extra broth as you’ll need the boost of flavor. Broth – A ham bone adds extra flavor to the broth just like in a ham bone soup. If you don’t have a ham bone you can use a ham hock which should be simmered for an hour before adding other ingredients.
Variations
To stretch this soup further, peel and dice two russet potatoes and add them along with the other vegetables. Replace the ham with smoked turkey if you’d like.
Soaking Split Peas
Split peas are almost always purchased dried, so they need to be either simmered in liquid or soaked overnight. Soaking is not required for this recipe but if you have already soaked the peas, the cooking time will be reduced by about 40 minutes. If you’d like to soak the split peas, place them in a bowl of cool water and soak for at least 4 hours or up to overnight.
How to Make Split Pea Soup
The best split pea soup is thick, creamy, and flavorful. This version is a ham and pea soup and it’s easy to make, most of the time is hands-off.
Tips for The Best Ham & Split Pea Soup
Like dried beans, dried peas should be sorted to remove debris or pebbles. Place them in a colander and rinse them in cold water. Split pea soup can be cooked in a slow cooker or a pressure cooker. Thicken split pea soup by allowing it to simmer uncovered for a little bit longer. If you’re short on time, some of the peas can be mashed or blended with an immersion blender. Store cooked split pea soup in the refrigerator for up to 4 days for freeze for up to 3 months.
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