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showing how to serve split pea soup with ham by adding to a bowl and garnishing with parsley
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Split Pea Soup Recipe with Ham

This Split Pea Soup recipe is hearty, protein packed, NUTRITIOUS comfort food at its finest!  This foolproof recipe is creamy (without any cream), adeptly seasoned (you'll love my secret ingredient!), versatile, and freezer friendly. It’s the easy, must-make recipe after you’ve cooked a ham for Easter, Thanksgiving, or Christmas to use that meaty ham bone OR I’ve included alternatives!
Servings 8 -10 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 16 oz. bag dried split peas, rinsed, picked over for debris
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1/2 tsp EACH yellow curry powder, dried parsley, dried thyme, ground mustard
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 meaty ham bone (with 2 cups meat on the bone for later)
  • 4 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
  • 3 cups water
  • 3 ribs celery, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
  • 2 medium carrots, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 2 cups Yukon gold potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

GARNISH

  • Chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

  • Note: The split peas do not need to be soaked for this recipe.
  • Sauté aromatics: Melt butter in olive oil in a large Dutch oven/soup pot over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion and sauté until softened, 5-7 minutes. Add garlic and sauté 30 seconds.
  • Add split peas and ham: Add split peas, bay leaves and seasonings and give them a stir. Nestle in the ham bone. Pour the chicken broth and water over top.
  • Simmer: Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer. Simmer, covered, for 50 minutes, stirring occasionally, and replacing the lid.
  • Remove ham and simmer: Remove ham from soup to a cutting board. Add the celery, carrots, and potatoes to the soup. Simmer, covered, for an additional 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender, and peas have broken down to your liking. Meanwhile:
  • Chop ham: Cut the ham off the bone and cut it into pieces (don’t add back to the soup yet). Once the veggies are tender, stir 2 cups diced ham into the soup.
  • Adjust to taste: The soup will thicken significantly as it sits, as the peas continue to breakdown from residual heat, so be prepare to add additional broth or water to thin to desired consistency. Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish servings with parsley if desired.

Notes

  • Split peas: They are sold by-the-bag located near the grains and lentils at your grocery store or purchase them on Amazon here. They come in green or yellow, but I prefer green for this recipe. Green tends to be sweeter and yellow tends to be earthier.
  • Storage: Let the Split Pea and Ham Soup cool to room temperature, then cover and store in your Dutch oven or transfer to an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.  The soup can also be frozen for up to 3 months.  The soup will thicken significantly, but is easy to thin to desired consistency with water or broth when reheating.

HAM OPTIONS FOR SPLIT PEA SOUP

Split Pea Soup is typically made with a ham bone (detailed below, used in the recipe) but here are a few more options:
  • Ham Bone: This can come from any leftover ham(spiral, whole bone-in etc.) cooked for the holidays, OR, purchase one directly from the butcher counter at your grocery store or neighborhood butcher. If possible, ask for them to leave about 2 cups meat on the bone.
  • Smoked Ham Hock: If you want to maintain the smoky flavor without using a ham bone, a smoked ham hock (also known as a pork knuckle) can be a flavorful substitute. It doesn’t have the meat, so you’ll want to combine it with chopped ham.
  • Ham Steak: This is thick slices of cooked ham cut from a whole ham roast. They can be found packaged in the refrigerated meat section near the bacon or sliced from the butcher counter. Once home, just chop them into chunks. You won’t have all the deep flavor from the bone so adjust seasonings (salt, etc.) to taste or combine it with ham hock or 4 raw bacon strips that simmer with the soup (then removed, see below).
  • Bacon+ ham steak: Swap the ham bone in the recipe for 4 ounces thick cut bacon (left whole) and 1 pound ham steak, cut into quarters. Simmer with the split peas for 45 minutes. Remove the ham steaks, add the carrots and celery and cook until tender per recipe. Remove the bacon slices (discard), shred and add the ham back to the soup.
  • Bacon: Cook 8 strips thick-cut bacon until crisp. Remove from the pot and leave 2-3 tablespoons bacon drippings to use to sauté the onions instead of butter. Cook and crumble the bacon to cook with the soup, saving a about ¼ to top the soup with.
  • Leftover Ham: If you have leftover ham without the bone from a previous meal, chop it into pieces and use it in your split pea soup. It’s a great way to repurpose leftovers. Combine it with the bacon option or enjoy alone, adjusting seasonings to taste.
  • Other protein: Smoked turkey leg is a great alternative to ham. Smoked sausages, such as kielbasa or smoked turkey sausage, can also richness and depth to the soup.