Savory Split Pea Soup

As a child, I hated split pea soup. As an adult, I have no idea why I didn’t like it! This savory split pea soup is an absolute delight to cozy up with on a rainy (or wintery) day, and I love how it hints of spring.

This is an excellent, budget-friendly meal if you are looking for affordable dishes for your family. The ham is the most expensive ingredient, and it can be substituted for other meats or omitted altogether.

Split peas alone are not a complete protein, so the addition of meat and the chicken broth is a simple fix for that. If you do prefer no meat at all, you can serve this with a quinoa salad as that could help balance the meal and provide the missing amino acids that the peas don’t have. If you are looking for a good quinoa dish to serve this with, try my Mediterranean Quinoa Fig & Feta with Balsamic Dressing.

If you are a Kosher family, you can omit the ham hocks and add an extra teaspoon of hickory smoke seasoning if desired. Turkey ham can be used in place of the ham.

Savory Split Pea Soup

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Ingredients

  

• 2 lbs split peas
• Water

Remaining Ingredients

• 12 cups chicken broth
• 3-4 lbs ham hocks
• 3 onions diced
• 3 carrots sliced or grated
• 4 stalks celery diced
• 2½ teaspoons salt
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp liquid hickory smoke seasoning
• 2-4 cups diced ham

Instructions

 

• Soak peas in water for 4 to 5 hours. Drain.
• Bring peas, ham hocks, and broth to a boil and reduce to simmer.
• Saute onions and carrots until tender. Add to soup,
• Add the remaining ingredients except the ham.
• Cook soup for up to an hour, or until peas are cooked through.
• During the last 5 to 10 minutes, add the ham and heat gently.
• Serve!

Notes

Bacon or bacon bits can be substituted for the ham.