Ham and split pea soup
Author: 
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 8 cups
 
Recipe yields about 8 cups.
Ingredients
  • 1 pound green split peas
  • 3 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 3 carrots, peeled and diced
  • 3 stalks celery, diced
  • 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
  • Ham bone (optional, but adds great flavor)
  • 2 cups diced ham
  • 7 cups broth (I used chicken) *** you could also use 7 cups water and crumbled bouillon cubes***
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • ¾ teaspoon crushed red pepper (more or less to your preference)
  • 1½ teaspoons dried thyme
  • 2 bay leaves
  • Salt to taste (You may not need any, depending on the sodium content in your ham and broth)
  • 2 Tablespoon fresh parsley to garnish
Instructions
  1. Place the peas on a rimmed tray or baking sheet, and sort through, discarding any shriveled or broken peas, debris or stones. Rinse with cold water.
  2. In a stock pot, put in the split peas and enough water to cover the peas, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.
  3. In the same pot, heat the oil. Add the onions, carrots and celery. Cook for 5 minutes until veggies start to soften. Add garlic, and cook for a minute. Add the peas, ham, broth, black and red pepper, thyme and bay leaf. Check for salt and add more if needed. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low and simmer for about an hour. After an hour, check if the peas are done. They should be soft. If not, simmer for another 15 minutes.
  4. Once the soup is done, remove the bay leaves and discard. Remove the ham bone, and shred off any left over meat and return to pot. Discard bone. Add in the fresh parsley (it really brightens up the flavor) and enjoy!
Recipe by To plate with love at https://toplatewithlove.com/ham-and-split-pea-soup/