Split Pea Soup with Ham Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Do split peas need to be soaked before cooking? ›

It's true, soaking peas overnight in water shortens their cooking time. But soaking isn't entirely necessary. Split peas cook relatively quickly. Unsoaked peas take from 1 to 2 hours of simmering; soaked peas take about 40 minutes.

Using onions, garlic, and fresh spices like thyme will add flavor to the soup. The real trick to making a bland pea soup extra tasty is using a bone or ham hock in the soup during the cooking process. Chicken broth will also add flavor to the soup.

How to Thicken Split Pea Soup. The potato should make your split pea soup perfectly thick and creamy. However, if the soup is still too thin for your liking, you can thicken it up with full-fat cream (though it may alter the flavor a bit) or a cornstarch slurry.

Luckily, there is an option that is just as accessible as ham hock, which can be found in nearly any supermarket. Smoked turkey meat, sold generally as legs or wings, is a worthy substitute for ham hocks, providing a comparable level of savory meatiness and smokiness.

If you are worried about getting gassy, soak your split peas ahead of time for roughly 8 to 12 hours. This can help break down certain sugars in beans and peas that lead to gas.

The common denominator will probably be meat (ham bones are common), more salt, and pepper to taste. If you want to take a shortcut, you could use bouillon cubes or paste to provide both meaty flavor and salt, though pork is a lot harder to find than chicken or beef. Salt and pepper you can just stir in.

(Bonus: all of the ingredients stay the same for Instant Pot split pea soup!). I love topping each bowl with crunchy sourdough croutons and a drizzle of olive oil for richness. You can also sprinkle each serving with fresh herbs, bacon bits, or pine nuts.

Cooking. Bring about 1.5 cups of water or broth to a boil for every cup of lentils or split peas. Add the lentils, allow water to return to boiling, reduce heat, partially cover pan, and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes, depending on the variety.

However not thickened with traditional methods, the thickness of this soup comes from the cooking down of the split peas themselves. The longer you cook the pea occupied broth, the thicker the soup gets. This is a preference, so you choose your thickness.

What goes well with split pea soup? ›

A recipe for "pea soup" from 1905 is made with split peas, salt pork and cold roast beef. The soup is strained through a sieve to achieve the desired texture. "Split pea soup" is a slightly thinner soup with visible peas and pieces of ham, especially popular in the Northeast, the Midwest and the Pacific Northwest.

Ham Hock Substitutes

If you can't find a ham hock, don't worry. You can easily substitute pork shank, smoked bacon, or smoked sausage without affecting your recipe too much.

I usually get between 1 1/2 cups and 2 cups off one ham bone, plus the bone itself gives the soup a silky, rich consistency. You may have to do a bit of searching before you find them at your grocery store. Sometimes they're in the butcher's case, other times they're wedged onto a far shelf of the refrigerated section.

To reduce cooking time, soak 1 cup split peas overnight in 3 cups of water and 1 tsp salt. Drain and follow cooking instructions above.

If the peas are very old and dried out, they won't soften.

Like beans, lentils and split peas are low in fat and high in protein and fiber, and they have the added advantage of cooking quickly without the need for soaking.