Ingredients:
- Hambone – I like to use a hambone that has meat left on the bone.
- Split peas -These are different than canned or frozen peas, they are dried beans you will find them in the same are of the grocery store that you find dried beans.
- Water – I like using water in my soup, but if you prefer you can use a vegetable or chicken broth instead.
- Onion
- Celery
- Potatoes – I like to add potatoes to my soup, but this can be omitted if you like.
- Carrots
- Garlic
- Bay leaf
Helpful Tips:
- Before adding the split peas make sure to rinse and remove any debris.
- There is no need to soak the split peas before adding them to the soup. They will soften as they cook with the hambone.
- The onions, carrots, celery, and garlic are added after the ham bone is removed from the soup. Normally I like to sautee the vegetables before adding them to the soup for more flavor, but with this soup, I don’t do that. This soup has so much flavor that this step can be skipped.
- Season the soup at the end of the cooking. I like to add salt and pepper but always taste before adding the seasonings. I have added marjoram with to this soup if you want to add something besides salt and pepper.
- The soup keeps in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days, to keep for a longer time store in a freezer container and freeze. The soup freezes well.
Steps on how to make Split Pea Soup:
Step one:
Rinse split peas and remove any debris that may be in the split peas.
Step Two:
In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, add the ham bone, split peas, and water bring to a boil and reduce heat. Cover and cook for 1 hour to 1/2 hours.
Step Three:
Remove the ham bone and set aside to cool. Stir in the vegetables and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and continue to cook for 1/2 hour to an hour.
Step Four:
Remove the meat from the bone, cut into bite-size pieces and return to the soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove the bay leaves before serving.
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Split Pea Soup
Ingredients
- 1 large meaty ham bone
- 1 pound dried green split peas
- 8 cups water
- 1 large onion chopped
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 1 cup carrots sliced
- 1 large potato cubed
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 bay leaves
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Rinse the split peas and remove any debris
- In a large soup pot or Dutch oven add the split peas, ham bone, and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook for 1 to 1 1/2 hours stirring occasionally.
- Remove ham bone and set aside to cool. Stir in the vegetables and bay leaves. Bring to a boil and reduce heat cook for 30 minutes or 1 hour or until the vegetables are tender and the soup is the desired consistency.
- Remove the meat from the bone, cut the meat into bite-size pieces and return to the soup. Heat until the meat is hot. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove the bay leaves before serving.
Notes
- Rinse the split peas before adding them to the soup.
- No need to sautee the vegetables before adding them to the soup.
- Season the soup add seasoning at the end of the cooking time to avoid over seasoning.
- The soup will thicken as it cooks.
- Freeze the soup if it is not eaten in 4 days, in a freezer container.
This recipe was originally published on April 16, 2013. It has been updated with new content and pictures on January 13, 2020.
It looks super delicious. I got crazy about soups lately and your recipe is on my list to do.
One of my very favorite soups. Yours looks hearty and comforting.
One of my favorite soups! I make it several times a year, substituting ham hocks or shanks when I don’t have a ham bone (which is usually the case). Yours looks terrific! Thanks for this.
This is one of my hubby’s favorite soups. I usually cheat and use one of those packaged mixes with peas and seasonings, but I need to try your version. Bill would be thrilled 🙂
Easy to prepare and so tasty and comforting!
It sounds great and Bill would love this, thanks for the recipe!
Ah, this is a classic! Not only is it a healthy way to get back on track after the holidays, but this is a great way to use the ham bone, too. There’s so much flavor there! Now I just have to convince Laura to let me use the ham bone – she usually saves it to make a Pennsylvania Dutch soup that she calls pot pie. (It’s nothing like pot pie, for the record. Haha.) Now I’m craving a bowl of split pea soup!
Glad to see this recipe again — LOVE split pea soup! Particularly when made with a ham bone. Love the color of it, too — so nice, isn’t it? Thanks!