Split Pea Soup
Made with simple, old fashioned ingredients and slow cooked to creamy perfection, this split pea soup is a delicious, warm comfort on chilly nights! Perfect paired with homemade biscuits or sourdough.
This split pea soup is a no brainer choice for me throughout the fall and winter. It calls for simple, old fashioned, whole food ingredients, but best of all, it’s nourishing and delicious. I toss all the ingredients in a dutch oven or stainless steel soup pot and let it simmer for a few hours on the stove. There’s something really, really cozy about soup simmering on the stove.
What makes this soup stand out is the ham hocks. We pasture raised pigs this year on our homestead for the first time and butchered just a few weeks ago. What a cool experience to raise meat on your own land! When we filled out the butcher’s cut sheet, I made sure to include that we wanted all the ham hocks! Why? Because ham hocks are the old school soup bouillon and are delicious in soups and stews. (I wrote about old fashioned bone broth and hocks in my post on Nourishing Chicken Bone Broth.) The ham hocks add a subtle ham flavor and saltiness that just can’t be substituted with store-bought bouillon. It’s so yummy and if it’s pasture-raised, it’s nourishing too! As always, I recommend sourcing your ham hock from a local farmer who pasture raises them, if you can. Typically you can find a large ham hock for a decent price at a farm store. If you can’t find a local farmer, I have used a slice of country ham from a breakfast diner before. Ha! Do what you gotta do! Most grocery stores also sell country ham with the bone in.
If you are getting a frozen ham hock from a farmer, it will likely be a lot larger than you need for just one batch of soup. I recommend thawing it out and cutting it up into the size pieces you need for batches of soup and re-freezing the extras. I often put the ham hock in the pot of soup frozen, so you don’t have to fuss with remembering to thaw ahead of time.
After the soup is cooked, take the ham hock out and use a knife to carefully remove all the meat off of the bone. Some of it will fall off the bone without much effort. Puree the soup and then add the chunked ham back into the soup for extra flavor and saltiness. Then give the bone to the dogs, they will thank you!
I highly recommend pairing this with some Southern Buttermilk Biscuits. Perfect to whip up right as the soup is finished simmering and a true completion to a southern meal. Since Split Pea Soup is pureed, it’s perfect to pair with biscuits or bread for dipping.
Ingredients for Split Pea Soup
- Ham hock or country ham, 2-3 inch piece across
- Split peas, 1 pound bag (rinsed, but doesn’t need soaking)
- 9 cups chicken broth – we use Better than Bouillon chicken bouillon and water
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
- 2 celery stalks, sliced
- 2 potatoes, diced
- Pepper – really makes the soup stand out! Don’t be shy!
- Salt at the end
How to Make Split Pea Soup
- Rinse ham hock (or country ham) and add to a dutch oven pot or stainless steel stock pot. It’s okay if it is still frozen.
- Chop carrots, onions, potatoes and celery and add them to the pot.
- Rinse the split peas in a colander. Pour in the 9 cups of broth and stir everything together.
3. Bring pot to a slight boil, then lower the heat to low to simmer for 2-3 hours.*
4. Remove the ham hock from the pot and carefully remove any remaining ham from the bone with a knife.
5. Use an immersion blender or regular blender to puree the soup. Add the chopped ham back into the soup and stir in pepper. The pepper really makes this soup stand out, so don’t be shy! Add salt and taste as you go, adding more salt and pepper as needed.
6. Enjoy with warm biscuits or fresh bread.
*This can also be simmered longer, if needed. It needs at least 2-3 hours for the flavors to combine nicely.
Split Pea Soup
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Rinse ham hock (or country ham) and add to a dutch oven pot or stainless steel stock pot. It's okay if it is still frozen.
- Rinse the split peas in a colander. Add them to the pot along with the chopped half onion, carrots, celery, potatoes and broth. Stir together.
- Bring pot to a slight boil, then lower the heat to low to simmer for 2-3 hours.
- Remove the ham hock from the pot and carefully remove any remaining ham from the bone with a knife.
- Use an immersion blender or regular blender to puree the soup. Add the chopped ham back into the soup and stir in pepper. The pepper really makes this soup stand out, so don't be shy! Add salt and taste as you go, adding more salt and pepper as needed.
- Enjoy with warm biscuits or fresh bread.
Notes
