Split Pea Soup
Split Pea Soup like mom used to make with tender split peas, smoked ham bone and vegetables. Enjoy a hot bowl of this hearty, protein packed and affordable soup on a cold winter day!
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 255kcal
Ingredients
- 2 cups green or yellow split peas rinsed & drained
- 1-2 lbs ham bone, any soup bones or turkey (carcass) leftovers
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 2 large carrots chopped
- 3 large celery stalks chopped
- 1 tbsp oil
- 8 cups water
- 2 bay leaves
- 5 peppercorns
- 1 tsp salt
- Ground black pepper to taste
- Green onion dill or parsley, for garnish
- 1 tsp smoked paprika for vegetarian version only
Instructions
- Preheat large pot or dutch oven on medium heat and swirl oil to coat. Add onion, carrots and celery; sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add soup bones/meat (if making vegetarian - skip), water, bay leaves and peppercorns. Bring to a boil and skim foam (if any) with a mesh strainer.
- Add split peas and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cook for 1 - 1.5 hours or until split peas are soft and partially broken down.
- Season with pepper and garnish with green onion, dill or parsley. Serve hot.
Notes
- Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Keep in mind it thickens within few hours after cooking and in the fridge afterwards. Reheat desired amount in a pot on low heat.
- Freeze: Fully cook, cool completely and freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw on a stovetop covered on low.
- Split peas: Green or yellow split peas and no need to soak. Split peas might look like green lentils to some but they are not. Both are legumes but lentils cook much faster.
- Vegetables: Onions, carrots, celery and potatoes. In Ukraine we didn't have celery but added diced potatoes.
- Fresh herbs for garnish: Dill, parsley or green onion are great. If I had to choose, I would pick parsley.
- Umami flavor for vegetarian pea soup: If you want to make vegetarian or vegan pea soup without ham bone, season with smoked paprika at the end. It adds a lot of umami flavour.
- Serving: Split pea soup is high in fiber and carbohydrates, so it is quite filling on its own. Men and kids who require more calories, can enjoy it with a toast or crackers. In Ukraine, my aunt served soup with croutons.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cup | Calories: 255kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 366mg | Fiber: 14g | Sugar: 6g