This split pea soup recipe is absolutely delicious and incredibly comforting! It’s easy to make with simple ingredients like dried split peas, carrots, celery, onions, and ham. We love ham in this soup, but you can easily adapt our recipe to be vegetarian.
I love savory soup recipes, and this split pea soup hits the mark! We use dried split peas as a base, and slowly add them with aromatic vegetables, broth, and thyme until they are completely soft. Then, we blend the soup until smooth to get a more creamy texture. It’s hearty, flavorful, and unbelievably sweet.
The ham adds a lovely smoky flavor, but if you’d rather do this without it, you can (and it’ll still be delicious). For more hearty soups like this one, check out our lemon turmeric lentil soup and our easy black bean soup. I also love this beef and cabbage soup!
Key Ingredients
- Split the Peas: Split peas are dried peas split in half, which helps them cook faster. They have an earthy and slightly sweet taste. There are two main types: green and yellow. In this soup, we use split green peas because they have a slightly sweeter flavor and hold their shape better during cooking, resulting in a heartier texture.
- It reads: I use boneless ham steak and usually find it sold by the pound (or close) in 1/2-inch slices. Bone-in ham is excellent, too. You can add a ham bone to the soup as it simmers for extra flavor. We will briefly cook the ham in the pot, remove it, and then beat it with a blender until it crumbles. This seems odd, but it creates the perfect texture for the soup! We will save the crumbled ham for serving.
- Oil: We keep it classic with a mix of onion, carrot, celery, and garlic to create a flavorful base.
- Remedies: I love the combination of bay leaves and fresh thyme. I usually take 6 or more thyme stems and tie them with twine so they can be pulled out easily later.
- Broth: Use what you like! That’s chicken stock for me, but veggie broth works great, too.
- Wine: The dry white wine adds a bit of complexity to the soup. Use something you already enjoy drinking. I tend to go for something lighter like a Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, or an unrefined Chardonnay. You can also use dry sherry.
- Dijon Mustard and Parsley: This is our secret! To add a lovely pop of flavor and color right at the end, we’ll also add a few tablespoons of Dijon mustard and half a bunch of fresh parsley. It invigorates everything and makes the soup taste incredible.
- Ingredients (Optional): When we serve this soup, we will blend it until smooth and creamy, then top with chopped ham, a dollop of sour cream, and sliced green onions.
Vegetarian Practice: As discussed earlier, you can leave out the ham in this recipe to make it vegetarian. It will still be fun and satisfying!
How to Make Split Pea Soup
We love this comforting split pea soup! This recipe is easy to follow and produces a creamy, delicious soup that’s perfect for any occasion (especially on a cold night).
First, we’ll start with the ham. Cook the ham in a large pot until lightly browned. Then, remove the ham and cook the aromatics (onion, carrot, celery, and garlic) in the same pot. The aromatics will take on the flavor of the ham, making the soup more delicious.
Once the onion has softened, add the split green peas, herbs (bay leaves and thyme), and wine. When the wine evaporates, pour the broth, season with salt, and boil until the split peas are tender (50 to 60 minutes).
As the soup boils, you can prepare the ham. Take a blender, add ham, and beat until shredded. It sounds weird to put together a ham but trust me. The ham breaks up into the perfect texture to add to our serving dishes.
Remove the herbs, then blend the soup until smooth with the Dijon mustard (I use an immersion blender, but a stand blender in batches works, too).
To serve, put a spoonful of ham in the bottom of the bowl and pour the soup. Top with plenty of ham, sour cream, and sliced green onions.
Easy Split Pea Soup
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This split pea soup recipe is so delicious and incredibly comforting. It’s so easy to make with simple ingredients like split peas, carrots, celery, onions, and ham. We love the ham in this soup, but you can easily adapt it to be vegetarian (details on this are in the tips below).
6 servings (12 cups)
You will need it
2 tablespoons of olive oil
12 ounces (340g) ham steak, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 cups chopped onion, 1 large
1 cup chopped carrots, 2 medium
1 cup chopped celery, 3 ribs
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 pound (450g) split green peas (dried)
2 bay leaves
1 bunch of fresh thyme
1/3 cup (78ml) white wine or dry sherry
10 cups (2.4L) low sodium chicken stock or veggie broth
1/2 cup fresh parsley
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
6 tablespoons of sour cream for serving
2 green onions, thinly sliced for serving
Directions
1Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot, such as a Dutch oven, over medium heat. Add the ham and cook for a few minutes, browning slightly (but not dry). Remove the ham and set aside.
2Add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic to the pot and cook until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add 1/4 teaspoon of salt.
3Stir in the split peas, bay leaf, and thyme. Cook for 2 minutes.
4Pour in the wine and swirl to lift anything stuck to the bottom of the pot.
5When the wine evaporates, pour in the chicken stock. Season with salt (taste to see if you need it – I usually add 1/4 teaspoon or so).
6Bring to a simmer, adjusting heat as needed. Cook covered until split peas are tender, 50 to 60 minutes. Swirl the pot occasionally as it cooks.
7As the soup boils, prepare the ham. Place the ham in a blender, working in batches if necessary. Pulse until chopped/ground. Place in an airtight container in the fridge until serving.
8When the split peas are tender, remove the bay leaves and the bunch of thyme. Add the parsley and mustard, then use an immersion blender to blend the soup until creamy. (You can also use a stand blender, but you’ll need to work in batches.)
9When ready to serve, reheat the ham, placing a few spoonfuls of the ham in the bottom of the dish. Pour the soup and garnish with sour cream, sliced green onions, and a little meat.
Tips from Adam and Joanne
- To reheat the ham: Place the ham on a microwave-safe plate. Cover the plate with a damp paper towel to help retain moisture. Microwave for 30 to 60 seconds or until heated through. Or, heat quickly in a skillet with a few teaspoons of water.
- Bone-in ham: If you have a ham bone, add it to the soup as it boils, then remove it before mixing.
- To save: Transfer the soup to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days. Or freeze in freezer safe containers for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
- Vegetarian Variations: Remove the ham. No other changes are required. For a vegan soup, omit the ham and sour cream.
- Wine: I love the pop of flavor wine adds to this soup, but if you prefer this without the wine, feel free to leave it out. Deglaze the pot with a splash of stock and continue with the remaining steps of the recipe.
- The nutrition facts given below are estimates.
Food Per Serving
Serving Size
1/6 of the recipe
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Calories
517
/
Perfect Oils
12.9g
/
Saturated Fats
3.6g
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Sodium
1030.1 mg
/
Carbohydrate
it’s 63g
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Dietary fiber
21.4g
/
Total Sugar
10.6g
/
Proteins
38.7g
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