A classic split green pea soup recipe with ham and a savory, thick broth with aromatics and herbs perfect for using leftover ham or ham bones!
JUMP TO RECIPEOne of the things I love about Easter and Christmas is that we always have lots and lots and lots of leftover ham after our big holiday dinner!
I’ve always reached for dried butter beans when I want to make soup with leftover ham (or a ham bone) but I wanted to try my hand at split pea soup this year!
I didn’t grow up with this so I had to consult ye olde internets to help me get down some basics for the soup. The internets told me this is a popular soup in Canada (don’t yell at me if that’s not true).
Canada, eh?
I immediately called my mother-in-law in Ontario to ask if she ever makes it. She does! But then we got to talking about forty other things and I can’t remember what she said.
Lucky for me she called a week or so later while in the midst of having a bunch of her girlfriends over and they talked me through the basics. I later learned that my mother-in-law uses brown split peas more than green but I'm not sure I've ever seen any other type than green.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR SPLIT PEA SOUP
- Diced ham
- Hurst's Green Split HamPeas
- Vegetable or chicken broth
- Carrots
- Celery
- Onion
- Garlic
- Black pepper
- Dried thyme
NOTE: If you can’t find Hurst's Green Split HamPeas, you use any dried split peas then add salt to taste and 1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke.
If you can’t find Hurst's Green Split HamPeas in your local grocery stores, ask for them! My grocery store now carries all sorts of products they didn’t have before simply because I asked for them.
Just ask the cashier who to talk to to request a product and s/he will point you in the right direction. My store has a list at the Customer Service desk where they notate products their customers' request.
Recipe for Split Pea Soup with Ham
Split Pea Soup with Ham
A classic split pea soup recipe with ham and a savory, thick broth with aromatics and herbs perfect for using leftover ham or ham bones!
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 carrots, diced
- 3 celery stalks, diced
- 1 large onion, diced
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 8 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- 4 cups diced ham
- 1 20-oz. bag Hurst's Green Split HamPeas
Instructions
- Sauté carrots, celery and onion in olive oil for 3 minutes.
- Add garlic and continue cooking 2 minutes.
- Add pepper, thyme, broth, ham, split peas (with seasoning packet) and stir well.
- Bring to a boil then reduce to medium-low heat, cover and simmer for 45-60 minutes or until peas are tender.
Notes
- If you can’t find Hurst's Green Split HamPeas, you use any dried split peas then add salt to taste and 1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke.
- I imagine you can make this in a crock pot but I’m not sure about cooking times since the peas are so small. I’d start with 4 hours on high and see how things go.
This is how I make my split pea soup. A ham base like chicken and beef base is available by the jar (12 oz.) I buy that and can use it for soups, lentils and beans. I also use my immersion blender at the end of cooking to make my soup smoother.
ReplyDeleteMade this according to package directions and added ham... YUM
ReplyDeleteAll looks good except we use the yellow split peas eh.
ReplyDeleteNancy in Canada
I didn't realize that! I'll have to buy some yellow peas next time we're up (pretty sure I've never seen them around here). I wonder if the taste is very different? Thanks for sharing!
Deleteand cook the dry yellow peas with a nice ham bone for flavour!
ReplyDeleteThis is very close to my pea soup recipe. We love it in Minnesota! we've always added a diced potato (near the end of cooking so it doesn't over cook) and/or dumplings. Dad would eat without those dumplings. I am going to have to make some this week.
ReplyDelete