Easy Homemade Split Pea Soup with Ham
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This Easy Homemade Split Pea Soup with Ham is thick and flavorful – with garlic, onions, carrots, peas, and ham. You’ll love it. It’s the perfect recipe to make when you need to use up leftover dinner ham!
What I love about Split Pea Soup is how hearty and filling it is, while still being extremely healthy. Split peas are packed with protein and fiber – they make the soup very healthy and filling. Plus, split peas contain essential vitamins and minerals like B-vitamins, iron, and magnesium.
My changes to traditional Split Pea Soup
I always like to test recipes to improve them if possible. Many split pea soups have celery in the soup – I don’t think it adds to the flavor or the texture of the soup, so I omit the celery and use celery seed seasoning. You get much more of the flavor without the awkward texture of the celery. Also, I find that adding a little heavy cream at the end of cooking makes split pea soup much silkier and smoother (flavor and texture).
Many soups use thickeners like flour or cornstarch – split pea soup is naturally thickened as the peas break down during the cooking process. This creates a thick and creamy soup without any flours or thickening agents. It’s much healthier for you than most soups! Not to mention, it is a great recipe to use up leftover ham from holidays or gatherings.
Making the Soup
- Making split pea soup is easy!
- Start by sautéing the vegetables until they’re soft, then add the ham, seasonings, split peas and water.
- Let it simmer until the peas break down and the soup thickens.
- Your kitchen will smell great during the process.
As winter sets in, this Easy Homemade Split Pea Soup with Ham is a recipe you need to try – it’s simple, nourishing, and delicious. The process is easy and the ingredients are straightforward. Not to mention it’s very comforting on a cold day. It goes great served with my Peasant Bread or Lion House Dinner Rolls.
Meatless Variation
This soup can easily be made vegetarian (or vegan). You can omit the ham and add additional vegetables if desired. You can also substitute vegan butter and nut milk for the cream.
Easy Homemade Split Pea Soup with Ham
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter, unsalted
- 1 yellow onion, diced (medium to large)
- 1 1/2 cups diced carrots (about 3 large carrots)
- 4 cups thick ham, diced or shredded (this recipe works great when you have leftover dinner ham, or you can also buy small precooked, sliced thick ham in the meats section of your grocery store)
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon celery seed (not celery salt)
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 8 cups water
- 4 cubes chicken bouillon (or Better than Bouillon chicken flavored paste – 4 teaspoons)
- 1 bag (16 oz.) dry split peas
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 bay leaves
- fresh parsley (optional, for topping)
- additional heavy cream (optional, for topping)
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium heat, add butter, diced onions, and diced carrots. Cover and cook until soft.
- Once soft, add ham, along with Italian seasoning, celery seed, black pepper, and salt. Cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
- Then add 8 cups of water, along with chicken bouillon. Stir well until simmering.
- Pour in bag of split peas. Stir well, then add bay leaves, cover and cook for 60 minutes, simmering and covered. Stir about every 10-15 minutes. As peas cook down the soup will begin to thicken.
- After 60 minutes, remove lid and stir in 1 cup of heavy cream. Cover and let simmer for an additional 15 minutes.
- Serve warm and if desired, top with an additional drizzle of heavy cream and/or fresh parsley. Enjoy!
- (Stores well in an airtight container for 3-5 days.)
Be sure to check out my other soup recipes here, and tag me me @plumstreetcollective when you make any of my recipes! Love to see what you’re cooking. Enjoy!
