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The past few days have been cool and rainy. Good for the flowers, but not good for the spring soccer season. This a comforting bowl of soup to warm the body. The yellow split peas are packed with fiber, they are good for the heart, and they also help stabilize blood sugar levels– perfect for those energy burning soccer bodies. Aside from the nutritional benefits, it also helps use up Easter ham leftovers–perfect for moms like me. I make this soup year ’round, not just after Easter, so I am listing the liquid ingredients as chicken broth, for that is what I use a majority of the time. However, you can use water and the leftover ham bone to really add a depth of flavor to this soup.
As much as I enjoy this right from the pot, storing any leftovers gives it that “next day goodness”. On that note, if you do have leftovers, the soup thickens a great deal and needs to be thinned with more broth before reheating and serving. I like to serve this soup with some Brown Soda Bread and a little butter to wipe up every last bit of goodness from the bottom of the bowl.
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Yellow Split Pea Soup with Ham
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried yellow split peas, rinsed and sorted
- 1 large yellow onion, finely diced
- 2 medium carrots, finely diced
- 2 medium celery stalks, finely diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 quarts chicken stock, plus more to thin
- 2 cups cooked ham, cut into ½-inch dice
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large stock pot, bring the split peas, vegetables, thyme, bay leaf, and stock to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer partially covered, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are tender, the split peas have broken down, and the soup is thickened– about 2 ½ to 3 hours. Add the diced ham and cook just until warmed through. Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Last night my sewing group met and this recipe was the topic of conversation. We all want to try it. Perfect timing, because everyone has leftover ham. The one question they had was: "How do yellow split peas taste compared to green split peas?"
Thanks!
Mom-
As far as taste difference, it is subtle, but the yellow split peas seem to be sweet and mild than the green split peas. The green split peas have a more "pea" like flavor as well. I prefer the flavor of the yellow, but the green would work with this recipe too.
I made this last night with the green peas since our store didn't have the yellow ~ it was delicious!!
made this last night. yumm
Angela-
I am glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for letting me know.
Thank you Nicole. We had six of us kids growing up in the house when I was a kid. My father would always make a huge stock pot of this on those rainy days. He would start in the morning with a smoked ham (bone in) the smell would tease us all day. It would never last as long as I would have liked it to. Brings back absolutely wonderful memories. I have made it for my kids through the years and they are hooked. So it's off to the grocery store I go, for fresh thyme and a ham. My kids are grow now, so this pot will last me a few days. Maybe 😉 Mike
You are so welcome, Mike! I need to make a batch of this too:)
This is my go to recipe every time I have leftover ham and want to make soup! My husband and I love this recipe!
I'm so please y'all enjoy it!