After Easter dinner or Christmas dinner is over and you’ve enjoyed a delicious Honey Baked Ham with your family, don’t throw away the leftovers! The bone from that leftover ham will make the most delicious and flavorful split pea soup. This wholesome soup recipe is slow simmered on the stovetop with aromatic vegetables, simple seasonings, and a bag of green split peas. In about an hour and a half, you’ll have a hearty and comforting pot of split pea soup with ham that you made completely from scratch! Now, if you haven’t baked a ham recently, you can absolutely still make this split pea soup recipe. I’ll give you some easy substitutions below. Looking for more soup recipes? I have so many here for you to choose from! Creamy Sweet Potato Soup is a favorite, and I think you’ll also like my Crushed Lentil Soup as well.
Classic Old-Fashioned Split Pea Soup
A Nostalgic Favorite – You might remember your parents or grandparents making a soup recipe just like this one. Making pea soup with a ham bone is a thrifty way to get more out of less. Super Simple Recipe – You won’t need any fancy equipment or special ingredients to make split pea soup – Just your trusty Dutch Oven or your favorite soup pot and some basic, inexpensive, and rustic ingredients. Versatile Recipe – Feel free to adjust the seasonings on this recipe. A bit of spice can be really nice here, or you might like it with more or less garlic.
Ingredients In Split Pea Soup
Here’s what you need to make this comforting soup with a leftover ham bone:
Ham Bone: This is the key to a rich and flavorful, slightly smoky split pea soup. Usually, this soup is made after a holiday, using the bone and leftovers from a roasted ham. Split Peas: Dried split peas are an inexpensive legume and are a key ingredient in this recipe. Green split peas are slightly sweet, earthy, and creamy after cooking. Yellow split peas can also be used, but keep in mind that they are starchier, so you will need to add more liquid to your soup. Be sure to rinse the peas and check through them to be sure that there aren’t any little stones in the bag. Carrots, Celery, and Onion: This trio of vegetables is the base for most great soup recipes. Dice the vegetables into small, evenly sized pieces. Seasonings: The seasonings for split pea soup are classic and savory. You’ll need salt, pepper, minced garlic, dried thyme, and one bay leaf. Broth: Homemade or boxed chicken broth works well for split pea soup. If you have some ham stock in the freezer, that would be even better!
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
How To Make Split Pea Soup with Ham
Recipe Tips
Ham Bone Substitutes: If you don’t have a ham bone handy, look for smoked ham hocks or ham shanks in the butcher case. They’ll add tremendous flavor to your pea soup. Another less expensive option would be to use a few strips of uncooked smoked bacon. Make Vegan Split Pea Soup: You can leave out the ham completely if you like and replace the chicken stock with vegetable stock. If you’re missing the smoky flavor, liquid smoke can be added as well. To Blend or Not to Blend: It’s up to you! I like to partially blend the soup so that there are still visible carrots and peas. If it is blended too much, this soup might be too thick. If that happens, stir in some extra broth. Make it in the Instant Pot: Follow my Instant Pot Split Pea Soup if you want to pressure cook this recipe instead.
Storing Tips
Once your split pea soup has cooled down, transfer it to an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat servings in the microwave or over gentle heat on the stovetop. You can also freeze this soup for up to 3 months.
What To Serve With Split Pea Soup With Ham
This hearty and savory soup with ham is already a meal by itself and doesn’t need much more to fill everyone’s bellies. But I would suggest serving this with some hearty bread or rolls so that you can wipe the bowl clean when you’re finished!
Do you need to soak split peas?
Unlike other dried beans, split peas do not need to be soaked before cooking. A long, slow cooking time will soften them just fine without this step. Some cooks will recommend soaking the split peas overnight, but I haven’t found it necessary.
Why aren’t my split peas softening?
There are two reasons why your split peas might not be softening in the soup. The first is that the peas are old and too dry. Try to buy fresh peas next time. Some think that hard water could be the culprit here as well. If you know that your tap water is heavily mineralized, use filtered water to cook the peas instead.
Can split pea soup with ham be frozen?
Yes, this soup freezes very well! I suggest freezing the soup in individual serving sizes in freezer bags or containers. They will keep this way for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
What seasonings are best for split pea soup?
I think that the best way to season split pea soup with ham is with classic, simple seasonings. This soup is smoky, salty, and earthy from the peas and ham, so it doesn’t need much more to make it delicious! This recipe uses garlic, thyme, and bay leaf to add subtle savory flavors. This classic split pea soup recipe is going to be your family’s new favorite! Don’t forget to Pin and Share the recipe with anyone else who is wondering what to do with that leftover holiday ham! © Little Sunny Kitchen
title: “Split Pea Soup With Ham” ShowToc: true date: “2024-11-03” author: “Andy Zenger”
Variations
Make it vegetarian: Simply leaving the ham out of the recipe in Step 3 will leave you with a delicious vegetarian soup. Add more flavor: If you still have the leftover ham bone from your Christmas ham, throw that in the pot at the beginning. It will bring some great flavor to the soup. Use yellow split peas: You can easily swap the green split peas with yellow split peas. The two cook the same, so the rest of the recipe can remain as it is.
If you loved this ham and split pea soup recipe (or any of my other recipes) come back and leave me a comment to let me know! It is the perfect way to use up leftover ham and is a delicious dinner that the whole family is sure to love.
Dry split green peas: The star of the dish, green split peas offer a hearty, creamy texture when cooked. There’s no need to soak them beforehand, but be sure to sort through them to remove any debris and rinse them well before adding them to the soup. Read more on this below. Dried thyme: Brings an earthy, savory note to the soup. Dried thyme is perfect for slow-cooked dishes like soups and stews, as its flavor develops nicely over time. Carrots: Add both sweetness and color, balancing the savory flavors of the peas and ham. Onions: Add depth and a slight sweetness once cooked down. Celery: Like the onions, add to the depth of the soup. Ham: Using leftover ham is a great shot-cut in this recipe, read more on this below. Lemon Juice: Adds a freshness that works so well with the ham and the peas. Salt and pepper: Ham naturally adds saltiness to the soup, so it’s important to taste the soup at the end and adjust the seasoning as needed.
That being said, ham steaks are readily available in the meat department of your grocery store. You can make this great soup all year long. Keep in mind that ham steaks are fully cooked. So you really just need to cut it up and add it to this fantastic soup. To freeze, place in a sealable container. Allow room for the soup to expand when it freezes. Freeze for up to two months. Please keep in mind when reheating leftovers, any food not eaten should be discarded and not stored again.
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