Split Pea Soup is hearty soup filled with protein, veggies, and carbs perfect for sustaining you during cold weather. Enjoy this classic, family soup recipe which is a meal in and of itself!
This ranks right up there with my French Onion Soup recipe!
Split Pea Soup
Hi Everyone, looking for a hearty, classic soup to get you through this Winter? This Split Pea Soup is packed with protein, lots of veggies and carbs making it a veritable meal in a bowl and so satisfying.
Split Pea Soup is one of those recipes that you grow up with (or at least I did!) and happily remember having. Split Pea Soup was one of the standard recipes that my dad would make on the weekend or at the beginning of the week and it had this way of just lasting and lasting throughout the week. As the soup sets, it thickens and you have to add water or broth to the soup to get it back to the original consistency, thus making the soup last a long time!
This soup is loaded with veggies: it has 2 onions, 3 celery stalks, 3 carrots, plus the peas of course! Well, technically the peas are the seed and considered a legume :) There is lots of dietary fiber in the peas as well.
Ingredients for Split Pea Soup
- 1 bag (1 pound) dried green split peas (they do not need to be pre-soaked)
- 2 quarts water, plus 2-4 cups (if you need to thin out the broth)
- 1 1/2 pounds diced ham (I use the butt portion versus the shank side of a ham bone because it’s leaner)
- 2 (8 ounces) medium onions, thinly sliced
- 2 dried whole bay leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, plus more for serving
- 1/8 teaspoon marjoram, optional
- 3 celery stalks, chopped
- 3 carrots (about 13 ounces) , ends removed, peeled and chopped
- 1 (about 9 ounces) medium potato, diced
- salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste, if needed (there may be enough salt from the ham to flavor the soup)
Helpful Kitchen Tools for Split Pea Soup
- ladle
- large soup pot or Dutch oven
- measuring spoons and cups
- cutting board
- chef’s knife
- pepper grinder
This soup is so easy to make and with a little simmer time, you can have a hearty, filling and satisfying soup for you and your family. I also love this soup because it’s inexpensive to make and you can make it with leftover ham, like, after a holiday.
This recipe is inspired by my dad’s split pea soup growing up which he would make often around this time of year; there’s nothing like pea soup on a cold Winter day!
If you try this Split Pea Soup recipe, let us know in the comments below!
More of our favorite soup recipes:
- Ham and Bean Soup
- Cream of Asparagus Soup
- Healthy Vegetable Soup
- Crockpot Creamy Cauliflower Soup
- Italian Sausage Tomato Orzo Soup
- Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Soup
Split Pea Soup
IMPORTANT - There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Rate ItIngredients
- 16 ounces green split peas (1 bag) (1 lb/454 grams)
- 2 quarts water
- 1 ½ pounds ham diced
- 2 medium yellow onions thinly sliced
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt optional, amount to taste, depending on how salty the ham is
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper 1/4-1/2 teaspoon- OR pepper medley
- 2 dried bay leaves whole
- ¼ teaspoon dried marjoram leaves
- 3 stalks celery chopped
- 3 medium carrots about 13 oz- ends chopped, peeled and chopped
- 1 medium potato about 9 oz- diced
Before You Begin
- you can soak the peas overnight, if you want to speed up the cooking time of the recipe (the peas will just break down faster), however, I found this not to be necessary for making the recipe.
- If the skins of the carrots are in good shape, you can skip peeling them. Just make sure they are washed well and the ends are cut off.
- If you have a ham bone that came with the ham, you can absolutely add it to the soup from the very beginning, when you add the ham, as it's cooking, or up until before serving.
Instructions
- In a large soup pot on the stove top, over medium-high heat, heat 2 quarts of water, peas, sliced, onions, pepper, ham, bay leaves and optional marjoram. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours, stirring intermittently.
- After simmering for 1 1/2 hours, remove the bay leaves and add the carrots, potatoes, and celery. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil again and reduce to a simmer. Cook for a half hour. Towards the end, optionally you can add 2-4 cups of water or chicken or vegetable broth to thin out the broth depending on how thick or thin you like it. If you choose to use water, you may need to add more salt, however, the ham, probably has enough salt to season the soup.
- When the vegetables are tender, add more salt and pepper to taste; serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
Amanda Davis
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joetta dawson says
Perfect to make after having Easter ham .
Fam enjoyed it !
LOVE
Lang says
Thank you for the weight measurement! It can be frustrating when a likely great recipe only gives quantity. What if my veggies are smaller, etc.
Karly says
Love how thick and hearty this is! Thanks for sharing!
Amanda Formaro says
Thanks Karly, we love split pea!
Kathy B says
It looks like you add the potatoes when you add the carrots and celery, but it doesn’t say in the recipe (unless I missed it)?
Amanda Formaro says
Thanks for pointing that out! I’ve corrected the recipe :)
Dave says
sorry, but me and Veggies are not the best of friends, am strictly a meat eater, except for raw green salads and I have reached a very healthy, fit 72 on that diet