Split pea soup with ham & (extra) root vegetables

A bowl of split pea soup with ham and vegetables, including carrots, potatoes, parsnips, and parsley root

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Split pea soup with ham & (extra) root vegetables

Double the vegetables for a hearty, chunky soup. Flavored with ham bones or ham hocks for a deep, savory flavor. Spices include bay leaves and thyme.

Prep Time15

Cook Time45

Total Time1

Servings: 1.5 cup servings

Calories: 461kcal

Ingredients

Soup

1 pound split peas one bag / 16 ounces
4 cups broth
3-4 cups water see note
2 bay leaves
5 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
1 ham hock see note
8-16 ounces ham see note

Base flavor

2 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion
3 stalks celery
2 cloves garlic

Vegetables

4 carrots
2 small parsnips
2 parsley root or other root vegs try sunchokes, celery root, or sub with extra carrots, parsnips, or potatoes
2 yukon gold or red potatoes

Garnish

fresh parsley optional
fresh cracked pepper optional
croutons or hearty bread optional

Instructions

Prepare the vegetables

Dice onions and celery, and finely dice garlic.
Taste the carrots and parsnips, if they taste bitter, peel them. Otherwise, leave the skin on for added nutrients. Dice all of the vegetables into bite-sized pieces for soup.

Make the split pea soup

Cook aromatics: Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a dutch oven or large soup pot. Add in diced onions and celery, saute for 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1-2 more minutes.
Cook split peas: Add the split peas, broth, water, bay leaves, thyme, and ham hock. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 30 minutes. (Don't add the vegetables yet, or they will turn to mush too).
Fresh split peas start to break down after 20-25 minutes, staler ones can take 45+. You don't want to add vegetables before this point, or they will cook too long and turn mushy.
Remove the ham hock & thyme sprigs. Cut any good meat off the ham bone after it cools, and add it back in when you are done.
Add vegetables only once the split peas have started to break down. Add the vegetables and extra ham (if using). Cook for another 15-20 minutes, until they are soft. The split peas should be falling apart, turning to mush.

Finish & serve

Stir the soup well, to break up any remaining split peas, blending into the soup. Add more water if it's too thick (or broth if it's not too salty already).
Taste & add salt: homemade split pea soup can vary in saltiness, it depends on the broth used, saltiness of the ham, and how much ham. I use a regular (not reduced) sodium broth that makes the soup just perfectly salty (for me). If it needs more salt, start by adding a ½ teaspoon and go up from there.
Top with fresh parsley, cracked pepper. Add in croutons or eat with a hearty, rustic bread. I like a good loaf with caraway or rye.

Notes

Water vs broth: this soup can get salty with the ham, so a mix of broth and water are used. I use Better than Bouillon chicken broth and add in enough for 4 cups.

Type of ham: Ham hocks / ham bones add extra flavor, thanks to the bone itself. They typically don't have a lot of meat on them, so I add in extra ham.

Using leftover holiday ham from Easter or Christmas: Use leftover holiday ham if you have it, otherwise a ham steak works well (see example). I've also used leftover pork tenderloin (which was delicious!).

Amount of ham: 8 ounces of extra ham will provide about 1.5 ounces per serving, or 2.5 ounces if you add in 1 pound.

Nutrition is calculated using an 8-oz ham steak and no croutons or side bread.

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Nutrition