Meet your new favorite Quick and Easy Smoky Split Pea Soup with Ham recipe. It's the easy-toss-it-all-in-and-forget-about-it kind of meal. Whether you fancy a slow cook in the crockpot, a quick finish in the pressure cooker, or simmering on the stovetop, this soup's got your back. Simplicity with a side of smoky deliciousness!
Why You Want to Make This Soup
- Comfort in a Bowl: This ham and split pea soup is a taste of home and childhood comfort.
- Easy Cooking: Dump everything in, and let it cook. No fuss, no stress. Simple as that.
- Your Way, Always: Easily add your touches, your style. It's your soup, your rules. Enjoy it your way.
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Ingredients and Substitutions
What could be easier, or more versatile than an easy dump soup like this recipe for Smoky Split Pea Soup with Ham?
- Split Peas - Split peas come either green or yellow. While they are both the same for flavor and cooking times, I find it best to choose one color or the other to keep the color of the soup true, not murky. My personal color preference is green, but if yellow floats your boat as being a more appetizing color, go for yellow.
- Vegetables - Onion, carrot, celery. If you want to add some leeks, they play nice.
- Herbs - Bay leaf, and thyme. Some recipes call for rosemary, but I find that to be too strong and don't recommend adding it.
- Meaty Ham Hocks - Or that bone that was in your ham. If you have neither you could substitute smoked turkey, and or smoked ham necks. In a pinch, you could substitute, with some success, either smoked kielbasa cut into cubes or even bacon. If you prefer to keep this soup vegetarian, you could use liquid smoke for the smoky flavor.
- Water - good old H20! If you are NOT using the ham hock, use part vegetable soup broth and part water for a deeper flavor.
- Croutons - Optional but good
How to Make Smoky Split Pea Soup
Easily cooked all day in a crockpot, cooked quickly in a pressure cooker, or even slowly simmered on the stove top, Smoky Split Pea Soup with Ham is perfect for lunch or dinner.
It's a "Dump" Soup
I love this soup as it is a dump soup. No sautéing is needed unless using bacon. If using bacon, fry it up a bit to cook it just a little and to release some of the fat, then add the other ingredients. Otherwise, just put everything into the pot, turn on your heat, and let it go to town. About 6 hours on high in the crockpot, 30 minutes in a pressure cooker, and about 1 ½ hours on the stovetop.
The Star - Split Peas
Split peas are high in protein and low in fat, containing only one gram of fat per 350 calories. Most of the calories come from protein and complex carbohydrates. The split pea is known to be a natural food source that contains some of the highest amounts of fiber, 26 grams per 100-gram portion Fiber, of course, helps the digestive system and makes you feel full and satiated.
FAQ's
Split peas are just normal peas that are dried and split to speed up the cooking process! Split peas are a type of legume and can be eaten as a vegetable or protein. They can be either green or yellow.
No, split peas do not need to be pre-soaked. As they are split they are already designed for quick cooking. If you do decide to pre-soak, your cooking time will be much quicker.
Yes, you can make it vegetarian by omitting the meat. Substitute some liquid smoke to achieve the desired smoky taste.
Freezing and Storage
This split pea soup freezes beautifully, so whenever I make it, I make extra. Instant lunches. Instant dinners. I like instant.
One thing I have noticed about split pea soups, and this Smoky Split Pea Soup is no different, the soup will thicken as it sits; so be sure to thin it with a little water, or chicken stock when reheating.
How to Make the Optional Crouton
Smoky Split Pea Soup with optional crouton.
I love using old rye bread to make croutons for this split pea with ham soup. The crouton adds a nice crunch. And they are very easy to make fresh. In this case, I had some very dense German-style rye that I cubed and baked in a 325ºF oven for about 10 or 15 minutes; just until they got crisp. You can toss them in a little melted butter first, but I don't find that to be necessary.
And if you have trouble finding good rye bread, like I sometimes do, then you can make your own with this recipe for A Quick, no Knead Crusty Rye Bread.
Or use regular bread. A hearty bread will hold up better in the soup though, so try for something with a bit of "heft".
LindySez: Just a drizzle of sherry in the soup brings it to life.
So pick a pot, throw in some split peas and a few veggies, and let's make some Smoky Split Pea Soup.
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Serve Smoky Split Pea Soup with...
Wine Recommendations
If you want to choose a white wine, pair this smoky split pea soup with a chilled Chardonnay. The buttery notes of the chardonnay will complement the ham and cut the smoky flavor just slightly.
If choosing red, go for a medium-bodied Merlot or earthy Pinot Noir with smoky split pea soup. Their velvety texture and hints of red fruit will harmonize deliciously with the hearty flavors of the soup.
Quick and Easy Smoky Split Pea Soup Recipe
Equipment
- Slow-Cooker or
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups green split peas about 1 pound
- 2 cups chopped onion or use a combo of onions and leeks
- 1 cup diced peeled carrot
- ½ cup diced celery
- 1 - 2 bay leaf torn in half
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried thyme
- 2 - 3 meaty ham hocks (depending on their meatiness), or substitute smoked turkey, smoked pork necks, or other smoked mea1
- Cold water everyone should have this ingredient in their home
- Salt and pepper to taste (I add this at the end, to taste, as ham hocks have different salt and smokiness levels all the time)
- Optional Ingredients: Rye bread or other crouton.
- Dry sherry
Instructions
- If making in a pressure cooker: If you are in a hurry, put the split peas in the pot with about 8 cups of cold water and start the fire. You can chop and add the vegetables as they get done.
- Add the vegetables, bay leaf, ham hocks and enough water to cover by 2 inches.
- When it comes to a simmer, close the lid on the pressure cooker; allow it to come to pressure. When pressure is reached, lower the heat to low, and allow to cook for 30 minutes. Turn off the heat; allow the cooker to cool naturally, about 5 - 10 minutes.
- Uncover and check for doneness. Remove the ham hocks and set aside to cool. Allow the split peas and vegetables to just simmer on top of the stove for a few minutes until the peas are mere mush. (It's o.k. if the carrots still look like carrots, as a matter of fact, it's preferred). Add water if the soup seems too thick. Allow the ham hocks to cool until they don't burn your hands anymore, then, carefully cut, pull, or otherwise extract the meat from the bones. Chop the meat into little fine pieces and add back to the soup. Stir well. Taste and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper to taste.
- If making in the crockpot: Place the split peas, onions, carrot, and celery into the crockpot, add water to cover by 2 inches, then nestle in the ham bone or hocks. Cover and cook on high for 6 hours, or low for 8 hours. Once cooked, carefully remove the bone(s) and extract the meat when cool enough to handle. Return meat to the pot and taste and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.
- If making on the stovetop: Follow the directions for the pressure cooker, allowing about 1 ½ hours of simmer time.
Elaine Schoch says
Looks delish! And I love "dump" soups too. So easy...
LindySez says
Aren't they though? Just toss it in and set it to cook...easy peasy. Cheers ~ Lindy
Cher says
The PERFECT dish on a cold winter day - looks fabulous!
LindySez says
Thanks Cher, tastes pretty darn good too 🙂 Cheers ~ Lindy
Chris says
One of my favs! I usually double the split peas... I like my spoon to stand up in this soup 🙂
LindySez says
Well, if you don't thin it...that's what you get 🙂