Ham and Split Pea Soup
Ham and Split Pea Soup made with leftover ham simmered with split peas and carrots in a savory broth with herbs and spices, perfect for chilly nights!
This is a family favorite in my house, and we rarely have any leftovers! Ham and Split Pea Soup is a great way to use up leftover ham after a holiday dinner. For a weeknight dinner year-round, you can also cut up a regular ham steak. This soup will thicken itself while it simmers, so you don’t need an immersion blender or any fancy kitchen tools. It also doesn’t take a ton of prep time, but it does have a longer cook time.
If you loved this recipe and still have leftover ham to use, you’ll also love my Crockpot Corn Chowder with Ham, and my Ham Salad!
Table of contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Use Up Leftovers – This is the perfect way to use up leftover ham, while tasting like something brand new!
One Pot – You’ll only need one pot for this recipe, making cleanup a breeze.
Budget Friendly – This recipe is incredibly budget friendly, using whatever vegetables you have in your fridge, one bag of dried split peas, and leftover ham or a ham steak cut into pieces.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Extra Virgin Olive Oil & Butter. This helps saute and caramelize the vegetables, adding another layer of flavor to the soup. The olive oil helps keep the butter from burning, while the fat from the butter adds flavor.
Celery. This adds a nice savory note to the soup.
Carrots. These add a little bit of sweetness to help balance the savory notes.
Onion. I like to use Vidalia onion for this recipe (because I like sweet onions in savory recipes), but you can also use a yellow onion.
Garlic. I’m a garlic lover, so I add a lot of garlic to my soup recipes. You can add more or less depending on your preference.
Green Split Peas. I’m using dried green split peas for this recipe. Make sure they’re not too old, because older peas won’t soften the same way. If your peas come with a seasoning packet, I don’t use it.
Check the bag to make sure they’re labeled gluten free, and don’t contain any other grains from sharing factory lines.
Diced Ham. I’m using leftover ham from a holiday dinner, but you can also get a regular ham steak and cut it into pieces.
Gold Potatoes. I like to use gold potatoes because they hold up really nicely in soup recipes without getting mushy, and you don’t have to peel them.
Fresh Thyme Leaves. Fresh herbs always add a lot of flavor, so if you can use fresh herbs, that’s the way to go.
If you need to use dried thyme instead, use 1 teaspoon of dried per 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves in the recipe.
Bay leaves. These add a really nice savory note to the soup. Remove them before serving, because they’re just for flavor and shouldn’t be eaten.
Chicken Stock. You can use chicken broth, chicken stock, vegetable stock, or vegetable broth for this recipe. Stock has more flavor.
Spices. You don’t need a lot of spices for this soup because there’s already a ton of flavor going on, just a pinch of black pepper and kosher salt (if needed, the ham is already salty).
Kitchen Tools
For this recipe, you’ll need a medium sized dutch oven or soup pot.
How to Make Ham and Split Pea Soup
In a dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and butter. Once the butter has melted, add the diced carrots, celery, and diced onion.
Cook until the onion becomes translucent, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and black pepper and cook for another minute.
Add the split peas, bay leaves, and broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and place the lid on the pot. Simmer for 1 hour, or until the peas begin to look soft, stirring occasionally.
Once the peas begin to soften, you’ll want to stir more often so they don’t stick to the bottom of the pot.
Stir in the diced ham, potatoes, and fresh thyme. Simmer for another 30 minutes uncovered, or until the peas are breaking apart and the soup thickens.
Make sure the potatoes are also fork-tender. Remove and discard the bay leaves and serve.
Recipe Variations
- Make this split pea and ham soup spicy with a dash of cayenne pepper, hot sauce, or red pepper flakes.
- Make this creamy with 1/2 cup heavy cream or sour cream, stirred in right before serving.
- Try adding other veggies like parsnips, leeks, broccoli, green beans, kale, or spinach.
- Make vegetarian split pea soup by using vegetable broth and leaving out the ham.
- For more flavor, try using your leftover ham bone from holiday dinner, or a smoked ham hock. Add the leftover ham bone with the broth, and simmer it until the soup is done. Discard the ham bone before serving.
Recipe Tip! The cooking time can vary for this recipe, but you’ll need at least 90 minutes, maybe more. It’s ready when the peas have broken up and thickened the soup, and the potatoes are fork-tender.
Frequently Asked Questions
Split pea soup can be made with or without ham, but it does add a really nice savory note to the broth. If you’re not adding any ham, then add salt to-taste. You can also consider adding some extra thyme or lemon juice for flavor.
Recipe Tip! If the soup is too thick, add extra chicken broth until it reaches the desired texture. Do this towards the end of the recipe, because the peas will break apart and thicken the soup quite a bit.
More Soup Recipes
- Slow Cooker Chicken Soup
- Sausage and Potato Soup
- Cabbage Chicken Soup
- Leftover Turkey Wild Rice Soup
- Instant Pot Cauliflower Soup
Storage
Keep in mind that the time starts from when you first stored the leftover ham, so if you make this the day after cooking the ham, you can refrigerate for 2-3 days in an airtight container.
Freeze for 2-3 months in a freezer safe container.
Cooking Tips
- Make sure to rinse and check the split peas per the package instructions.
- If the soup is too thin, try letting it simmer for another 20-30 minutes. The peas thicken the soup as they break down, and may just need some more time.
- Once the peas start breaking down, stir the soup often to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- The peas need about 90 minutes to fully break apart for split pea soup, which is why we’re simmering them for a while before adding the ham and potatoes. The potatoes only need about 20-30 minutes to cook through.
- Make this in the crock pot by adding everything to the slow cooker at once, stirring together, and cooking on low for 8-10 hours, until the peas are breaking apart and the soup is thick.
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Ham and Split Pea Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 medium celery ribs, diced
- 3 medium carrots, diced
- 1 medium Vidalia onion, diced
- 5 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
- 1 pound dried split peas, rinsed and sorted
- 8 cups chicken stock, low sodium, gluten free
- 3 whole bay leaves
- 1 pound cooked ham, diced
- 3 medium gold potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
Equipment
- 1 medium dutch oven or soup pot
Instructions
- In a dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and butter. Once the butter has melted, add the carrots, celery, and onion. Cook until the onion becomes translucent, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and black pepper and cook for another minute.
- Add the split peas, bay leaves, and broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and place the lid on the pot. Simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until the peas begin to look soft. Once the peas begin to soften, stir more often so they don't stick to the bottom of the pot.
- Stir in the diced ham, potatoes, and fresh thyme. Simmer for another 30 minutes uncovered, or until the peas are breaking apart and the soup thickens. Make sure the potatoes are also fork-tender. Remove and discard the bay leaves and serve.
Notes
- Make sure to rinse and check the split peas per the package instructions.
- If you’re on a gluten free diet, check the bag of split peas to make sure they’re labeled gluten free, and don’t contain any other grains from sharing factory lines.
- If the soup is too thick, add extra chicken broth until it reaches the desired texture. Do this towards the end of the recipe, because the peas will break apart and thicken the soup quite a bit.
- If the soup is too thin, try letting it simmer for another 20-30 minutes. The peas thicken the soup as they break down, and may just need some more time.
- Once the peas start breaking down, stir the soup often to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- The peas need about 90 minutes to fully break apart for split pea soup, which is why we’re simmering them for a while before adding the ham and potatoes. The potatoes only need about 20-30 minutes to cook through.
Nutrition
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