Classic Split Pea Soup Recipes

CLASSIC SPLIT PEA SOUP

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, cover dried peas with 2 quarts of water.
• Bring the peas to a boil; boil gently for 2 minutes.
• Set aside to soak for 1 hour.
• Add ham bone to the peas, along with chopped onion, bay leaf, garlic powder, marjoram, thyme, and pepper, and bring the soup to a boil.
• Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
• Remove meat from the ham bone. If desired, put a little finely chopped ham aside for garnish. Dice the meat and return to pea soup with chopped celery and carrot.
• Simmer the pea soup gently for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Taste and add salt, as needed. Remove the bay leaf.
• If desired, top servings with reserved finely chopped ham or crumbled cooked bacon.
• Gather the ingredients.
• When using this method, you can omit the soaking time. Instead, rinse the split peas and reduce the liquid (water or broth) to 1 quart.
• Combine the ingredients (except salt and garnish) in the slow cooker.
• Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, or until the peas are tender. Or cook on high for about 4 to 5 hours. If cooking on high, it might be necessary to add more liquid.
• Remove the meat from the ham bone and chop.
• Return the chopped meat to the soup. Taste and season with salt, as needed.
• Garnish servings with some reserved diced ham or cooked crumbled bacon.

SPLIT PEA SOUP

Steps:

• Heat peas and water to boiling in 4-quart Dutch oven. Boil uncovered 2 minutes; remove from heat. Cover and let stand 1 hour.
• Stir in onion, celery and pepper. Add ham bone. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 1 hour 30 minutes or until peas are tender.
• Remove ham bone; remove ham from bone. Trim excess fat from ham; cut ham into 1/2-inch pieces.
• Stir ham and carrots into soup. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 30 minutes or until carrots are tender and soup is desired consistency.

SPLIT PEA SOUP WITH HAM

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven or 5-quart heavy pot with a lid, heat oil over medium. Add onion, carrots, celery, and thyme; season with salt and pepper. Cook until vegetables begin to soften, 5 to 8 minutes.
• Add broth, split peas, ham bone, and 5 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and partially cover; simmer until peas are soft, 30 to 45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make croutons: In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add bread and cook, tossing occasionally, until browned and crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate.
• Remove and discard bone from soup. Working in batches, puree only 1/2 the soup in a blender (don't overfill); return to pot. Add ham cubes, and simmer until heated through. If necessary, thin with water. Add salt, pepper, and lemon juice to taste. Serve topped with croutons.

SPLIT PEA SOUP

Steps:

• If using bacon: In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp, 12 to 13 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a plate lined with a paper towel. Once cool, crumble and set aside for garnish. If using ham hock: In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil, then brown the ham hock until golden, about 6 minutes. If making the soup vegetarian: In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, heat the olive oil.
• Add the onion, leeks and garlic and season generously with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 to 8 minutes. (If the vegetables seem dry, add a little olive oil.) Stir in the carrots, paprika (if using), half the split peas, thyme and 8 cups stock or water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, partly covered, stirring occasionally, for about 45 minutes until peas are tender.
• Mash the soup coarsely with a potato masher or give it a few quick blitzes with an immersion blender (watch out for the thyme sprigs). If you'd prefer a smoother soup, blitz until nearly smooth. Add the remaining 1/2 pound split peas and simmer about 1 hour, or until the peas are soft. If at any point the soup looks too thick, add more stock or water; if it looks too thin, remove the lid during the second simmer until it thickens. If using ham hocks, remove any meat from the bone, cut it into small cubes and stir into the soup. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with crumbled bacon, if using, and lemon wedges.