Welcome back! I am excited to do you a flavor with this week’s savory recipe — Split Pea Soup. This recipe is for the newer home cook and the seasoned weeknight chef alike. So, pour a nice warm drink and grab your scissors because you’re going to want to cut this recipe out and save it!
Originally, I was intimidated at the thought of split pea soup and I don’t know why. To be honest, maybe my fear stemmed from using dry beans because I don’t really have experience with them; but like I always say we have to cook outside the box and out of our comfort zones.
For this recipe I pulled out the ham bone I had put in the freezer after Thanksgiving, the night before I made the soup; I wanted time for everything to thaw naturally before putting it in the soup. When I froze the ham bone, I left some meat on it because I knew I would want that for something, and let me tell you it came in handy!
For this soup you will need:
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup diced ham
• 1 pound bag of dry split peas
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• ½ cup chopped onions
• 2 bay leaves
• ½ -1 tsp thyme
• Salt and pepper to taste
You can make this soup in a crockpot, instant pot or on the stove but I used the crockpot setting on the instant pot. Chop your veggies and ham and add to the pot; I cut ham off the bone and actually used a little more than a cup. Then add in your broth, water, bay leaves, thyme and pepper – I recommend waiting to salt this soup until it’s in individual bowls because that ham adds a good bit of salt. Stir everything together and then lay the ham bone on top of everything. This soup needs to cook for about 8 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high.
When your soup is done you will need to remove the bay leaves and ham bone. This soup is great served with some buttery, crusty bread. I like to melt salted sweet cream butter and mix it with garlic powder, maybe a clove of freshly minced garlic and a little fresh parsley. Brush the butter mixture on sliced bread – something hearty like sourdough or ciabatta – and put under the broiler until the bread is lightly toasted.
This is another dish you can make your own!
Take the ham out and make it vegetarian or add potatoes to bulk it up a little. You could also use rosemary in addition to thyme to change things up or top it with grilled cheese croutons – just make a grilled cheese then cut it in little cubes! Cooking should be relaxing and fun, and your finished product should make you smile and do the slow nod like “oh yea, I made that!”
So, get in the kitchen and throw this flavorful split pea soup together and enjoy it with your family, and as always, I am sending love from my kitchen to yours.
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