Split Pea Soup & Ham

  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hrs 10 mins
  • Servings: 4

    • About This Recipe

    “Winter evening and split pea soup are like two peas…well you get the reference. I saw a similar recipe on Emeril’s show and embellished.”

    Ingredients

  • 1tablespoonolive oil
  • 2cupsyellow onions, chopped
  • salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1tablespoonchopped garlic
  • 1bay leaf
  • 1lbdried split peas, picked over and rinsed
  • 8cupschicken broth
  • 1cupmilk
  • 1ham steak, cut into 1 inch pieces
  • hot sauce(optional)

    • Directions

  • In a large soup pot over medium-high heat, heat the oil.
  • Add the onions.
  • Season with salt, pepper, crushed red pepper.
  • Saute for 2 minutes.
  • Add the garlic, bay leaf, and split peas and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
  • Add the broth and ham.
  • Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour or more, until the peas are tender.
  • Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
  • Remove the bay leaf and discard.
  • Add the milk and, using a hand-held blender or potato masher, process until smooth.
  • Add the hot sauce if desired and serve hot.

    • Reviews

  • “Made this soup last night for dinner using a lb. or so of leftover ham from Christmas.It was very good.I cut back on the amount of liquid and didn’t process the soup with a blender because I like a thick soup.Will cut back on the onions next time.The crushed red pepper (just a little!) gives it a little zip that I like.DH and I eat simple soup and bread suppers a lot in the winter and this one hit the spot!”

  • “The only change to this recipe was I added chopped leeks, mainly because they were there and I had to use them up.My husband said it was the best pea soup he ever had.”

  • “I used a ham bone and leftover chopped ham meat.I also added a couple of potatoes.I used the milk and other ingredients the recipe called for.This is the first time making split pea soup and really found this to be an easy recipe that produced an absolutely flavorful soup which I will definitely make again.Excellent recipe and instructions. Thank you for posting.”

  • “Wonderful version of a old favorite…thanks for the idea of ham steak.I did include diced celery and carrots with the onions (just cleaning out the fridge) and it was lovely.Delicious and easy!”

  • “LOVED THIS SOUP!! OMG!!!Previously, I only bought cans of split pea soup. I wanted to get away from the canned, congealed stuff and thought I would try this. I added some finely chopped celery to this to use it up (about a 1/4 cup), very little red pepper flakes (I don’t like things too hot) and no hot sauce. Also, when I looked in the pantry, I only had three cans of chicken broth, so I used a vegetable bouillon cube and 2 1/2 cups of water to make up the 8 cups. I didn’t decrease the broth, because I like it to be soup and figured it would thicken by the next day (if it got that far, which it didn’t). I used evaporated milk and only 1/3 cup since I liked the color of it before the milk went in. I gave it the whole hour and it was definitely done.I did take several cups and puree it with the hand held blender, then add it back into the rest of the soup. That made it look just like the canned stuff, but the flavor was out of this world! I literally ate it for breakfast and gave some to a elderly neighbor who did the same thing.Very good recipe, very flexible, great taste and simple to make in the morning while getting the kids ready for school. Who could ask for anything more? Dinner done by 9:10 am!”

  • “I used to make SPlit peas all the time. I am the only one that eats it here so I don’t make it anymore. You can add curry to the mix for extra kick and I like a few potatoes as well. Also for you vegetarians, use some soy based bacon bits. They will soften and taste just like ham without the meat.”

  • “This recipe is great! I made a few simple modifications though…I added more bay leaves and after cooking for 40 minutes, I tasted it and the peas were already fairly tender, but there was way more liquid than what the peas could absorb. I added another pound of split peas and continued cooking for another forty minutes. It ended up that the first batch of peas made a base and the second added some texture. After it sat in the fridge over night, it thickened up a lot, but I like it thick so I didn’t use the milk. The best split pea soup I think I ever had!”

  • “top smart nice”

  • “this is my first time making split pea soup and I thought it came out great!Even my 4yr old seemed to like it!The only change I made was I did not add the milk & I did not puree.. I also put red pepper in sparingly because of the kids.I used leftover spiral ham from Christmas.”

  • “Really good!Didn’t use potato masher or blender, just left as is at the end, and it was perfect.Added diced carrots and chunks of potato, as well as a touch of cajun spice, turned out beautifully.Will definitely make again!”

  • “Really great recipe. Added some carrots and a dash of balsamic vinegar.”

  • “My first attempt at pea soup and it was fabulous!!So simple and so very tasty too!!I blended it all without thinking and then missed the ham chunks, so I think I will just blend a portion of it next time.”

  • “So great! So easy! Sometimes simpler is better. The chicken stock gives a great flavor boost without a ton of other ingredients. I added two medium carrots, finely chopped carrots which I sauteed with the onion in the first cooking step. I liked the flavor that the crushed red pepper and hot sauce added.”

  • “I loved it! I let it cook about 30min longer to get a thicker consistency without needing to puree it. I didn’t add the milk since I thought it didn’t need it. It was great, especially the next day!”

  • “This was delish, TIsh;)! I did decrease the onions per the reviews. I decreased the liquid to 6 cups but then added another cup. I did not add any milk.I like a thicker consistency.The only bad thing is that I wish I had doubled the recipe.”

  • “Thanks Tish, for publishing this recipe. I made the soup for dinner last night; accompanied only by a nice French Bread loaf. Terrific. I doubled the ingredient amounts so we would have leftovers. I’m glad I did!”

  • “Easy and tasty.Thanks for sharing.I will make again!”

  • “I made this this evening and had the majority of my family raving, with the exception of the 2 year old. lolEven the boy, who seems to think that he’s allergic to vegetables, LOVED it!My thanks, as well, for sharing!”

  • “Super pea soup!I used 6 cups of chicken broth instead of 8 and instead of ham steak, I threw in a ham bone.I didn’t add the additional milk. This was so flavorful! :DThanks for sharing!”

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