There’s no better way to cozy up during the cooler months than with a warm bowl of split pea soup with ham! Smoky ham, hearty veggies starring split peas, and herbs simmer in a savory veggie broth to give you a deliciously smooth soup.
The BEST Split Pea Soup Recipe
At Fit Foodie Finds, we find it SO satisfying to use leftover food and revive it into an entirely new culinary masterpiece. This homemade split pea soup is THE soup you can count on after every ham-filled holiday, but it’s so good, you’ll want to make it all year round!
Just buy some ham, some split peas, and a few other simple ingredients, and watch the magic happen in your pot. It’s gonna be your new favorite thing.
Why you’ll love it!
So Much Flavor: The combination of smoked ham, hearty veggies, pungent herbs, and rich broth gives this dish a whole lot of flavor!
Leftover-Friendly: Split pea soup with ham makes the perfect leftover ham soup recipe. We actually prefer how it tastes the next day!
Hearty Soup: The ham, peas, veggies, and herbs come together to make for a cozy meal that will warm you right up on a cold night.
Featured Ingredients
- Ham: this recipe uses a meaty ham bone as well as diced ham to give you lots of additional flavor.
- Fresh veggies: we put vegetables to great use here with fresh onions, garlic, carrots, celery, and shiitake mushrooms.
- Dried split peas: green split peas are a must for making split pea soup!
- Vegetable broth: we used vegetable broth for this recipe, but feel free to use chicken broth or whatever you have on hand.
- Dijon mustard: dijon mustard is the perfect pairing for green peas and ham. It really amplifies all the great flavors.
- Herbs: we used thyme and sage in this delicious soup as it really deepens the overall taste.
Great Jones
Dutch Oven
The Great Jones “The Dutchess” is our favorite Dutch oven for every day cooking. It’s great for one-pot meals, soups, and more!
How to Make Split Pea Soup with Ham
SAUTE VEGGIES
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large stalk pot over medium-high heat. Then add the onion to the pot, season with ½ teaspoon of salt, and sauté for about 3 minutes.
Add the remaining olive oil, carrots, celery, and mushrooms to the onion with an additional 1 teaspoon of salt. Sauté all of these vegetables for about 4 minutes, and then add the garlic to the pot. Stir and sauté for an additional 2 minutes.
ADD REMAINING INGREDIENTS
Next, add the split peas, broth, water, mustard, and the remaining salt to the pot and stir until all the ingredients are combined. Tie the thyme and sage together with cooking twine and submerge it in the broth.
Lastly, submerge the hambone into the soup. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat.
SIMMER SOUP
Cover the pot and turn the heat to low. Let the soup simmer for 1 hour, stirring periodically.
Remove the hambone from the pot and add the diced ham to the soup. Let the soup simmer for an additional 15 minutes to heat the ham.
THICKEN + SERVE
Remove the herb bundle from the soup and then take the soup off the heat, letting it sit uncovered for 15 minutes so that it gets nice and thick.
Serve alone or with warm bread. Enjoy your tasty split pea soup!
Recipe Substitutions
Ham: We used our smoked ham hock for this recipe so the broth will reflect the spices and flavors of that smoked ham. However, if you have leftover ham, ham shank, or a ham steak, those will also work fine.
Veggies: A more traditional split pea soup will have green split peas, carrots, and celery, but feel free to use your favorite veggies or even swap out or mix the green peas with yellow split peas.
Broth: Any broth works, but we prefer to use veggie broth to keep that potent smoked ham flavor. However, you can also use our homemade chicken or turkey broth!
Herbs: Split pea soup also tastes excellent with bay leaves and fresh parsley, so if you prefer those herbs, go ahead and give them a go!
FAQs
Absolutely! The average split pea soup offers about 27 grams of protein and 18 grams of fiber in a single serving, making it an excellent source of nutrition for any meal.
No, they don’t have to be, as split peas cook pretty quickly. However, if you’d like to shorten the cooking time, you can soak the peas overnight. This will give them about 40 minutes to cook rather than the original 1 to 2 hours unsoaked.
Does your soup seem a little watery? No worries — just add some cornstarch. Just keep in mind that you DO NOT want to add cornstarch directly to your soup. Instead, ladle a small amount of broth into a separate bowl and let it cool before mixing in your cornstarch and adding it back to the pot.
How to Store Split Pea & Ham Soup
Got leftovers? Here are a few storage tips to follow to make sure your split pea with ham soup lasts for as long as possible.
Refrigerator: Transfer the soup into an airtight glass container and seal it tightly. Refrigerate for up to 5 days.
How to Freeze Leftover Soup
- Let your soup cool completely before transferring it into a freezer-safe gallon-size bag or Tupperware.
- Seal and then place in the freezer.
- Will last for up to 3 months.
- To reheat, let thaw on the counter and then transfer into a large pot on the stove or even reheat in a slow cooker.
Split Pea Soup with Ham
Smoky ham, hearty veggies starring split peas, and herbs simmer in a savory veggie broth to give you a deliciously smooth split pea soup with ham.
Prep:30 minutes
Cook:1 hour 30 minutes
Total:2 hours
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil separated
- 2 teaspoons salt separated
- 1 medium onion minced (~1.25 cups)
- 2 cups diced carrots
- 1.5 cups diced celery
- 8 oz. shiitake mushrooms ~1 heaping cup, any type of mushrooms will work
- 5 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 2 cups dried split peas
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 4 cups water
- 1.5 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 sprig fresh sage
Instructions
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Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large stalk pot over medium/high heat. Add the onion to the pot and season with ½ teaspoon of salt. Sauté the onion for about 3 minutes.
-
Add the remaining olive oil, carrots, celery, and mushrooms to the onion with an additional 1 teaspoon of salt. Sauté all of these vegetables for about 4 minutes, and then add the garlic to the pot. Stir and sauté for an additional 2 minutes.
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Next, add the split peas, broth, water, mustard, and the remaining salt to the pot and stir until all the ingredients are combined. Tie the thyme and sage together with cooking twine and submerge it in the broth.
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Lastly, submerge the hambone into the soup. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat.
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Cover the pot and turn the heat to low. Let the soup simmer for 1 hour, stirring periodically.
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Remove the hambone from the pot and add the diced ham to the soup. Let the soup simmer for an additional 15 minutes to heat the ham.
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Remove the herb bundle from the soup and then remove the soup from the heat and let it sit for 15 minutes, uncovered to thicken before serving.
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Serve alone or with warm bread.
Tips & Notes
- We used our smoked ham for this recipe, so the broth will reflect the spices and flavors of that smoked ham.
- The longer this soup sits, the thicker it will become.
- We love this soup most the day after making it!
Nutrition facts
Calories: 302kcal Carbohydrates: 40g Protein: 24g Fat: 6g Fiber: 15g Sugar: 9g
Photography: photos taken in this post are by Erin from The Wooden Skillet.