Old-Fashioned Split Pea Soup with Ham

Why you’ll love it

• Thick and creamy: the peas melt into a velvety soup with no cream needed.
• Smoky and savory: a ham hock flavors the whole pot, and its meat goes back into the soup.
• Budget-friendly: about $2.00 a bowl, no soaking required, and it freezes beautifully.

Quick facts

Ingredients

For the soup

• 1 lb (450 g) dried green split peas, about 2 1/4 cups
• 2 tbsp (28 g) unsalted butter or olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups / 200 g)
• 2 medium carrots, diced (about 1 cup / 130 g)
• 2 celery ribs, diced (about 1 cup / 100 g)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 meaty smoked ham hock (about 1 1/2 lb / 680 g) or a leftover ham bone with some meat
• 6 cups (1.4 liters) low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups (480 ml) water, plus more as needed
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups (225 g) diced cooked ham (optional, for extra meat)
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar or fresh lemon juice
• Salt, to taste (start with 1/2 tsp at the end)

For serving

• Buttery croutons or crusty bread
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Step-by-step method

1. Rinse the peas. Spread the split peas on a plate and pick out any small stones or shriveled peas. Rinse them in a fine-mesh strainer or colander under cold water and drain. There is no need to soak them.

2. Cook the vegetables. Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven or heavy soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.

3. Add everything else. Add the split peas, ham hock, chicken broth, water, bay leaves, thyme and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and skim off any foam that rises to the top.

4. Simmer. Reduce the heat to low, partially cover and simmer 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes and scraping the bottom of the pot so the peas do not stick, until the peas have completely broken down and the soup is thick.

5. Shred the ham. Remove the ham hock and the bay leaves. When the hock is cool enough to handle, pull the meat off the bone, discard the skin, fat and bone and chop the meat into bite-size pieces.

6. Blend if you like. For a smoother soup, blend it briefly with an immersion blender, leaving some texture. For a rustic soup, simply whisk it well.

7. Finish the soup. Return the ham hock meat to the pot along with the diced ham, if using, and simmer 10 minutes. If the soup is too thick, add hot water 1/2 cup at a time. Stir in the vinegar, then taste and season with salt.

8. Serve. Ladle into bowls and top with croutons and parsley.

How to know it is done

The soup is ready when the split peas have completely fallen apart and you cannot see or feel any firm peas, and the soup is thick and creamy enough to coat a spoon. A spoon dragged across the bottom of the pot should leave a trail for a second. The ham hock meat should be very tender and pull easily from the bone. If the peas are still firm after 1 1/2 hours (older peas take longer), keep simmering and add a little water as needed.

Tips for the best result

• Stir and scrape the bottom often during the second half of cooking; thick split pea soup scorches easily.
• Add salt only at the end, because the ham hock and ham can be very salty.
• Use fresh split peas from a store with good turnover; very old peas may never soften completely.
• The soup thickens a lot as it cools, so leave it a little looser than you want when you serve it.
• The splash of vinegar or lemon at the end brightens the flavor, so do not skip it.

Variations and substitutions

• Slow cooker: add everything except the diced ham and vinegar (skip the sauteing if you like) and cook on low 8 hours or high 4 to 5 hours, then finish as directed.
• Instant Pot: saute the vegetables, add the rest, cook on high pressure 15 minutes and let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes.
• Vegetarian: skip the ham, use vegetable broth and olive oil and add 1 tsp smoked paprika for a smoky flavor.
• Yellow split peas: they work the same way and give a golden soup with a slightly milder flavor.
• With potatoes: add 1 large peeled, diced russet potato with the peas for an even heartier soup.

Make ahead

Split pea soup is perfect for making ahead. Cook it completely up to 3 days before, cool it, cover and refrigerate. It will set almost like a thick paste in the refrigerator; that is normal. Reheat it over medium-low heat, stirring and adding broth or water a little at a time until it is creamy again.

Storage and reheating

Store leftovers in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat over medium-low heat, stirring often and thinning with broth or water, until steaming (165°F / 74°C), or in the microwave in 1-minute bursts. Freeze in freezer containers for up to 3 months and thaw overnight in the refrigerator.