Traditional(ish) Split Pea Soup

meagalayne

This is a homemade staple around here and some Pals asked for the recipe, so here goes!

It's a great quick fix and can be made for less than $1/serving - Just needs a few hours on the stove and the occasional stir. Active prep time is about 5 minutes.

For 6 hearty servings...

1 Tbsp olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
3 cloves garlic
2 cups dry split peas (green or yellow - we use 1 cup of each for variety but either works!)
2 liters (8 cups) of water
2-3 bay leaves
Approx 400g-1lb of smoked ham, lean only (or a ham hock if you're feeling saucy) - chopped
dried thyme (optional)
fresh ground black pepper

In a medium dutch oven, heat the oil on medium heat and soften the onions, carrots and garlic for 5-7 minutes. Add in the split peas and stir well. Cover with approx 2 liters of water and add in the bay leaves. If you like, add in some dried thyme (we didn't but it's up to you) and ground black pepper. Add the ham and bring to a simmer with the lid slightly ajar. Simmer on medium or medium-low for at least 2 hours, stirring every once in a while and ensuring it doesn't boil away furiously. For the last 30 mins, simmer with the lid off.

The meat should be very tender and falling apart and the peas should be completely broken down. Initially the soup will appear watery but once the peas break down it will turn into a creamy, delicious bowl of goodness. You can opt to blend it if you like but we don't bother. I love the chunks of carrot and ham.

Enjoy!

kimcat73

Thanks, sounds yummy!

DannyMussels

Nice!!
Keep some warm for me, and I'll be down in a few hours!

oamber0

I LOVE split pea soup, this is almost exactly how I make it. I have never tried it with bay leaves in it though. Oh, if you ever feel like making it a little spicy, adding just a bit of cumin, or curry powder is great too!!

limismith

Bump

That sounds wonderful, and not too many ingrediants. Don't have a dutch oven but I might try this over the stove!

meagalayne

Bump

That sounds wonderful, and not too many ingrediants. Don't have a dutch oven but I might try this over the stove!

I use my dutch oven on the stove - Any large soup pot will work great! :bigsmile:

jojopel

Thanks for posting

meagalayne

BUMP! Making this for dinner tonight! :bigsmile: