Split Pea Soup

 

In my opinion Split Pea Soup is one of the tastiest, healthiest, comforting, simple to make soups out there. It just looks a little weird…

Traditionally Split Pea Soup is made with ham stock, made by boiling ham hock bones or bones leftover from a bone in ham. I have also had great success using chicken or vegetable stock or broth.

I baked a bone-in ham a few weeks ago, and froze the drippings (which were like broth on steroids) so I could pull them out and use them later in this recipe. If there wouldn’t have been so many drippings I would have frozen the bone and pulled it out to boil and make broth. Either way the soup will turn out great.

This recipe also works great in the crock pot. Just put everything in on low for 4-6 hours.

Split Pea Soup

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Total time

15 mins

 

My mom used to make Split Pea Soup during the winter months. It is comforting, full of protein and fiber and makes me think of my childhood. Comfort food at it's finest! You can use Chicken Broth if you do not have ham juices or a ham bone to make ham broth.

Author: Maria

Recipe type: Soup

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 1 16 oz bag of dry split peas (find them near the lentils at your grocery store)
• 3 medium potatoes, large diced
• 4-5 carrots, sliced
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 large clove of garlic, crushed
• 3 stalks of celery, sliced
• salt and pepper
• Ham bone or Ham juices reserved after baking a ham and (I save the drippings when I cook a ham. I put them in the fridge so the fat will settle at the top. Then I scrape the fat off and freeze the remaining ham juices, which are sort of gelatin like, until I want to use them in soup)
• 1-2 cups cooked ham, diced or shredded
• Salt and Pepper
• 2-3 tbsp Olive Oil
• water

Instructions

1. {If using a ham bone, boil it in a large pot of water for a couple hours. Remove the bone and pick of any usable meat. Throw the bone away, add the meat to the broth and set aside.}
2. In a large soup pot, saute the onion, celery, garlic, and carrots until onions in a few tablespoons of olive oil are slightly tender. (make sure to salt and pepper generously during this step)
3. Add rinsed split peas, potatoes, ham juices or ham broth you made from the bone. (if you do not have either you can use chicken or veggie broth)
4. Once you have all the ingredients in the pot, add water, if needed, to make the liquid rest about 2 inches above the rest of the ingredients.
5. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer.
6. Simmer the soup until the split peas are very tender or if you prefer, until they disintegrate into the broth.(that is how I like it)
7. Serve with crackers or rolls

3.2.1275

Some people like to eat it when the peas are just barely tender. I wait until they have basically disintegrated into the soup. Also the soup gets thicker and thicker as it sits so add extra water or broth if the texture gets to thick for your taste. I always add a little water when I warm up leftovers.

This soup is awesome with crackers or your favorite rolls. We like Lunch Lady Cafeteria Rolls.

Enjoy!

Keep it Real!!!

Maria