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!
1/2teaspoonKosher saltoptional, amount to taste, depending on how salty the ham is
1/4teaspoonfresh ground black pepper1/4-1/2 teaspoon- OR pepper medley
2dried bay leaveswhole
1/4teaspoondried marjoram leaves
3 stalkscelerychopped
3mediumcarrotsabout 13 oz- ends chopped, peeled and chopped
1mediumpotatoabout 9 oz- diced
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!
Notes
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.