Easy Split Pea Soup Recipe
The perfect cool weather dish, this easy split pea soup recipe is a nourishing, hearty, and flavor packed meal. Tender split peas are simmered with veggies, chicken stock, and a ham bone to yield a flavorful, deliciously comforting soup.
Servings: 6
Equipment
- 1 Dutch Oven or large soup pot
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 3 stalks celery diced
- 3 carrots diced
- 6 cups chicken stock preferably homemade
- 2 cups water
- 16 ounces dried split peas
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme chopped or 1/2 tsp dried
- 1 1/2 pound meaty ham bone or ham shanks
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Sourdough croutons optional
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, and carrots and sauté for three minutes or until the veggies start to become translucent.
- Pour in chicken stock, water, split peas, garlic, bay leaves, and thyme.
- Add the ham bone into the soup and bring mixture to a boil. Cover and simmer for about an hour, or until the peas are tender.
- Remove the ham bone from the soup, and allow it to cool.
- Take the meat off the bone and cut it into bite sized pieces with kitchen shears.
- Add chunks of ham back to the soup.
- Remove bay leaves.
- Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve into bowls and top with homemade sourdough croutons.
Video
Notes
- Avocado oil or butter would also work in place of olive oil.
- I love to use homemade bone broth in this recipe. It adds so much nutrition to the dish and is really easy to make, but regular chicken broth from the store works great.
- You do not have to soak split peas before cooking. You can if you’d like, but it’s not necessary.
- Fresh or dried herbs will work just fine. I prefer fresh when available.
- Classic split pea soup is seasoned with a ham bone. If you do not have a ham bone or shank, you could substitute it with a couple pieces of uncooked bacon.
- Homemade sourdough croutons are optional, but a seriously delicious topping, and easy to make!
- If you want to make this a little heartier, you could add a few red or gold potatoes.
- To make this a vegetarian split pea soup recipe, use all vegetable broth instead of chicken stock and water, and skip the ham bone. It will have a different and milder flavor, but you’ll still find it yummy. You may want to add some more herbs to boost the flavor.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 389kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 397mg | Potassium: 1179mg | Fiber: 21g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 5363IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 79mg | Iron: 4mg