Split Pea and Ham Soup
A thick, smoky split pea and ham soup that turns a leftover ham bone into an economical one-pot dinner with a velvety, creamy texture and no soaking required.
Equipment
- Large Dutch oven or heavy soup pot - At least 5 to 6 quarts
- Sharp chef's knife - For dicing vegetables and ham
- Fine-mesh strainer - For rinsing the split peas
- Soup Ladle
- Tongs - For lifting out the hot ham bone
- Immersion blender - Optional, for a smoother texture
- Storage containers - For leftovers
Ingredients
- 1 lb dried green split peas - 450g, rinsed and picked over for stones
- 1 meaty ham bone or 2 smoked ham hocks - plus about 1.5 cups (200g) diced cooked ham
- 1 tablespoon olive oil - 15ml, or butter
- 1 large yellow onion - about 1 cup or 150g, diced
- 2 medium carrots - about 1 cup or 130g, diced
- 2 celery stalks - about 1 cup or 100g, diced
- 3 garlic cloves - minced
- 8 cups chicken broth - 1.9L, or half broth, half water
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- salt - to taste, add at the end since ham is salty
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley - chopped, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Pour the split peas onto a plate or into a shallow bowl and pick through them, removing any small stones, grit, or shriveled peas. Transfer to a fine-mesh strainer and rinse under cold running water until the water runs clear, then set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion, carrots, and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, for 6 to 8 minutes until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook for about 1 minute more until fragrant, being careful not to let it brown.
- Add the rinsed split peas, bay leaves, dried thyme, and black pepper to the pot and stir to coat everything in the aromatics. Nestle the ham bone or ham hocks into the center, then pour in the chicken broth and stir to combine.
- Increase the heat and bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover partially with a lid, and simmer gently for 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes or so and scraping the bottom, until the peas have broken down and the soup is thick.
- Using tongs, lift the ham bone or hocks out onto a cutting board and let them cool for a few minutes. Pull the meat from the bone, discard the bone, fat, and any skin, then chop or shred the meat into bite-sized pieces and return it to the pot along with the diced cooked ham.
- Fish out and discard the bay leaves. For a smoother soup, blend about half the pot with an immersion blender or mash some of the peas against the side with a spoon. Taste and season with salt as needed, thin with more broth or water if desired, then simmer another 5 minutes to heat the added ham through. Ladle into bowls and top with fresh parsley.
Notes
- Use fresh split peas: peas more than a year old may never soften, even after 90 minutes of simmering.
- Salt at the end, since ham bones, hocks, and broth all carry salt; salting early can make the pot too salty.
- Stir and scrape the bottom every 20 minutes, as split peas love to settle and scorch.
- Add acidic ingredients like tomatoes only after the peas are tender, since acid can slow softening.
- Blend about half the pot for a silkier, restaurant-style finish while leaving some texture.
- Save some diced ham to stir in at the end so each bowl has distinct, meaty bites.
- The soup thickens as it cools and in the fridge; a splash of water or broth when reheating brings it back to the right consistency.
- Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months; thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- For a vegetarian version, skip the ham, use vegetable broth, and add smoked paprika or liquid smoke for smoky depth.
- A slow cooker version works too: add everything except the diced ham, cook on low for 7 to 8 hours, then shred the bone meat and stir in the reserved ham.
Nutrition
Serving: 1BowlCalories: 255kcalCarbohydrates: 40gProtein: 18gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 650mgPotassium: 810mgFiber: 16gSugar: 7gIron: 3mg
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