Split Pea Soup with Ham

Split Pea Soup with Ham is one of my ultimate comfort foods! Even my pickiest eaters have loved this recipe from the time they were small, and we still call it “Swamp Soup” around our house.

I’ve mentioned a time or two that I was a little girl when my mom died, so I really don’t have as many food-related memories of her as I would like to. I can’t pinpoint a specific memory that I have of my mom and split pea soup like I can with my dad and his doctored-up Campbell’s Bean with Bacon Soup and toast on Sunday nights or Chicken Cacciatore in the Dutch oven or cinnamon rolls and egg casserole on Christmas morning. But somewhere in the back of my brain, I know that Split Pea Soup with Ham is somehow linked to my mom and that those are good memories.

I usually end up making this a few times a year after some ham-related festivity because I have to start getting really creative in thinking up ways to use up all the leftover ham. However, my kids have also decided that in spite of the visual evidence to the contrary (my son says it “looks like swamp”), they all love it and are more than happy to eat it up when I make it. In fact, my son has asked for it for his birthday on more than one occasion. And since it also happens to be super healthy–full of protein, fiber, and good carbs!

Ingredients Needed

• Dried split peas – Find these in your grocery store near dried beans, lentils, etc.
• Chicken or vegetable broth – Canned or reconstituted from bouillon or soup base
• Bone-in ham, diced – Ideally, you can use a ham bone leftover from some hammy large dinner, but you don’t want to use said ham bone if it the ham was seasoned with stuff like brown sugar, cloves, etc.–that’ll add a weird flavor to your soup. I like to get a bone-in ham steak from the grocery store. You can also buy ham pieces sold at the grocery store close to the regular hams. Don’t be scared, it’s just pieces of ham that have fallen off while a ham was being spiral-cut, so you still get that spiral ham, it’s just in smaller pieces and quantities and perfect for cutting up and using in soup. Aside from the spiced, sweet hams, the ones you want to stay away from are the super-lean cubes of ham (not enough flavor) or lunch meat (it will fall apart).
• Carrots
• Onion
• Fresh garlic
• Italian seasoning
• Marjoram
• Smoked paprika
• Dried thyme
• Bay leaf
• Malt vinegar – You’ll need a tiny bit of malt vinegar which ends up being the secret ingredient; my soup kept feeling like it just needed more depth and I found the malt vinegar in the back of my cupboard and it just made the flavors pop.

How to Make Split Pea Soup

1. All you need to do is place the peas, carrots, ham, onion, and garlic in a slow cooker or Instant Pot, add some herbs, spices, and chicken broth and then set it to go! You can cook it on high for 4 hours, low for 6-8, or high until it boils and then turn the setting to low until you’re ready to serve it. If you’re at a high altitude, you may need to plan on more cooking time. You can also cook it for fifteen (15!) minutes in the Instant Pot. You’ll want the peas completely and (this is kind of a dirty word in the food biz) mushy. They will fall apart and thicken the soup and yes, contribute to that swamp-like appearance. It’s just the name of the game; if they’re undercooked, they’ll be crunchy or taste like raw peas.
2. Remove the bay leaf and season with salt, pepper, and hot sauce if desired. This soup is better when it’s had about an hour to sit after cooking. It may separate–just stir it up to make sure you’re getting a little of everything.

Frequently Asked Questions

You may also like:

Soups & Stews

Pressure Cooker Bean and Bacon Soup

29 Comments

Condiments, Dips, & Sauces

Sourdough Garlic-Herb Croutons

30 Comments

Breads

Easy No Knead Overnight Artisan Bread

248 Comments

Library

Black Bean Soup

126 Comments

Split Pea Soup with Ham

5 from 17 votes

This split pea soup with ham is one of my family's all-time favorite comfort foods! Throw the ingredients into the crockpot first thing in the morning and it will be ready by dinnertime, or scroll to the bottom for Instant Pot instructions.

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 6 hours hours

Cooling Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 7 hours hours 5 minutes minutes

ServingsServings8 servings

Print Rate

Pinterest Facebook Email

Share

Equipment

• 1 Slow Cooker
• 1 pressure cooker optional; a slow cooker works great – directions for both are below

Ingredients

• 1 pound split peas, dried rinsed and sorted
• 2 quarts chicken or vegetable broth or, 8 cups water + 8 teaspoons chicken or vegetable bouillon or soup base
• 1 pound ham, bone-in diced into small pieces and trimmed of excessive fat
• 4 carrots, medium peeled and chopped
• 1 onion, medium chopped
• 4-5 cloves garlic minced
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ½ teaspoon marjoram
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• pinch thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon malt vinegar

Instructions

Slowcooker

• Place all the ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours. You can also cook it on high until it starts to boil and then turn the setting on low until you're ready to serve the soup. Soup is best when it's had about an hour to sit after removing from heat. Top with Sourdough Garlic-Herb Croutons.

Instant Pot

• Add ingredients to the Instant Pot, seal, and cook on high for 15 minutes. Quick release the pressure, then stir to combine.

Reheating Leftovers

• Any refrigerated leftovers will probably be very thick. It can be thinned with a little chicken broth or water.

Notes

• Nutritional information was calculated using chicken broth, rather than vegetable broth.
• Store cooled soup in an airtight container in the fridge and consume within 3-4 days for best results.
• This soup freezes well! Freeze in individual portions for an easy meal on busy days.
• Note that the leftovers might be quite thick; just heat it up and then add a little water or broth until the desired consistency is reached.

Sourdough Garlic Herb Croutons

This soup is awesome topped with these Sourdough Garlic-Herb Croutons (and I really, really encourage the whole sourdough part; it just matches the soup so well!).

Ingredients

• 4 cups sourdough bread cubes
• 1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon real butter
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon granulated onion/onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• Optional: 1-2 tablespoons crumbled Parmesan cheese
• Also an option: scrap all of the seasonings above and just throw on this garlic bread seasoning!

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a small bowl combine salt, onion, garlic, oregano, and parsley and set aside. Melt butter in the microwave until completely melted and then combine it with the olive oil. Place bread cubes in a large bowl and pour the butter/oil mixture over the bread cubes making sure to distribute evenly over the cubes in a small drizzle. Don’t dump it all in one place. If you do that, a few lucky little bread bits will soak up all the buttery goodness and the rest will get hurt feelings from being left out. Immediately use your hands to toss making sure to coat each bread cube with the butter mixture. Sprinkle the herb mixture over the bread cubes, again, making sure to distribute it evenly and use your hands to coat well.
3. Spread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet.
4. Place in oven and cook for 10-20 minutes, stirring and flipping every 5 minutes so they cook evenly. The time is going to vary depending on the type of bread used and the size of the cubes. The croutons should be golden brown. Generally, they will take 15-20 minutes.
5. When finished, remove from oven and immediately toss with Parmesan cheese if desired. Let cool completely.. Store in an airtight container.

Nutrition

Calories: 290kcal, Carbohydrates: 41g, Protein: 26g, Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 0.1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 35mg, Sodium: 1647mg, Potassium: 729mg, Fiber: 16g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 5252IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 61mg, Iron: 3mg

Course: Main Courses, Soups

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Split Pea Soup with Ham

Calories: 290kcal

Author: Kate Jones

Cost: $15

Did You Make This Recipe?Snap a picture, and hashtag it #ourbestbites. We love to see your creations on our Instagram @ourbestbites!