Hearty Split Pea and Ham Soup
A comforting and nutritious slow cooker soup featuring green split peas and smoky ham, perfect for cozy meals with minimal effort.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 7 hours (slow cooker low) or 3.5 hours (slow cooker high)
- Total Time: 7 hours 15 minutes (slow cooker low) or 3 hours 45 minutes (slow cooker high)
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 ½ cups (about 300g) green split peas, rinsed well
- 2 cups diced cooked ham (about 300g), leftover ham or ham hocks work well
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 cups (1.4 liters) chicken broth, preferably low sodium
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Salt, to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Optional: 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice to brighten flavors
Instructions
- Rinse the split peas under cold water until the water runs clear and set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onion, diced carrots, and chopped celery. Sauté for 5-7 minutes until softened and fragrant.
- Add minced garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
- Transfer the sautéed vegetables to the slow cooker. Add rinsed split peas, diced ham, chicken broth, bay leaves, and thyme.
- Season with freshly ground black pepper. Hold off on salt until later.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 7-8 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours until peas are tender and soup is thickened.
- If desired, use an immersion blender to puree about half the soup for a creamy texture, leaving some chunks for texture.
- Stir in apple cider vinegar or lemon juice. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
- Remove bay leaves before serving. Ladle soup into bowls and serve hot.
Notes
Rinse peas well to remove grit. Sautéing veggies adds depth of flavor. Add salt at the end to avoid over-salting due to ham and broth. Use immersion blender to puree half the soup for creamy texture without losing chunks. Adjust thickness with broth or water if needed. For smokier flavor, add smoked paprika near the end.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: About 1 ½ cups per s
- Calories: 275
- Sugar: 5
- Sodium: 700
- Fat: 5
- Saturated Fat: 1
- Carbohydrates: 35
- Fiber: 11
- Protein: 22
Keywords: split pea soup, ham soup, slow cooker soup, comfort food, easy soup recipe, hearty soup, healthy soup