This is a fabulous throw it all in the slow cooker Pea and Ham soup. Theres no need to cook the onion separately it sauts itself in the fat from the ham that rises to the surface. Thick, hearty soup broth infused with incredible flavour from the ham bone!
A worthy ending for your leftover Christmas ham bone, or use store bought. Make this in your slow cooker or on the stove!
Pea and Ham Soup
Ive always said thatLentil Soup is the least sexy looking soup in the world.
But in hindsight, I think Pea and Ham Soup should take that title.
I mean, think about it.A sparkling white Corn Chowder is pretty. A Thai Tom Yum Soupis colourful and vibrant. Creamy Carrot Soupis a cheerful bright orange colour. And a fiery red Laksa looks as bold as it tastes.
But Pea Soup? Its brown more than green. Kahki at best.
So no, its not glamorous.
But this ugly duckling is seriously delicious. One bite, and you wont be able to stop!!
What goes in Pea and Ham Soup
Heres what you need for pea and ham soup. Ive used a store bought ham hock here because I used up all the ham bones I managed to score from friends and even mere acquaintances. Yep, when it comes to rounding up ham bones, Im shameless!!
Make sure you use a ham bone with plenty of meat because more meat means more flavour imparted into the soup and more shredded ham!
- Green split peas these are just dried peas that are halved (split!) which means they cook faster and theres no need to soak overnight (such as with most types of beans for things like Southern Baked Beans). When cooked for a long time like we do here (in order for the ham meat to be ultra tender), they become creamy and thicken the soup;
- WATER, no broth the ham bone releases so much flavour that all we need is water for the soup broth.How good is that??!!
I love how economical pea soup is when made using leftover ham bone because the broth just needs water no stock!
The Ham Bone
Use either your aleftover ham bonefrom a homemade Glazed Ham or a store bought ham hock or bacon hock.
Store bought ham hock is sometimes sold over the counter and delis, otherwise its vac packed and sold with ham and similar items in the refrigerator section.
While store bought are intentionally nice and meaty (to flavour the soup and for plenty of shredded ham), leftover ham bones have been known to be picked clean by Ham Monsters. So if your ham bone isnt meaty enough, just add a hunk of ham into the soup as well just to ensure you get enough flavour into the broth.
Do the same if your store bought ham hockweighs less than 1 kg / 2lb.
Alternative: give the broth a flavour boost with a dash of stock/bouillon powder.
Just place everything into the slow cooker then turn it on
No need to saut onion separately beforehand. In this recipe, the onionwill rise to the surface and saut in the ham fat.Ive tried itsauting onion first, then using my method and there isno difference in flavour.
The peas will be so soft they become creamy. So blitzing is optional. What I like to do is partially puree the soup using a handheld blender stick. This way you get the best of both worlds a smooth, creamy soup broth with soft bits of pea and veg bits!
How long to cook Pea and Ham Soup
Make sure you slow cook Pea and Ham Soup in the slow cooker for at least 8 hours, but 10 hours is even better (on low). The ham meat should literally fall off the bone and be shredded with a touch.
Easily shreddable ham is an indicator that its been cooked long enough to release a ton of flavour into the broth!
Wondering if Split Peas are good for you??
They are! Theyre high in fibre and protein, can help reduce cholesterol and are low in fat. But split peas are a higher carbohydrate vegetable so watch your intake if youre on a low carb diet.
What to serve with Pea and Ham Soup
A hunk of warm crusty bread (preferably slathered in butter) is literally made for dunking into this thick soup.
In fact, forget spoons. Imagine eating the whole thing using bread as your feeding tool of choice?? For homemade, try this quick Irish Soda Bread.
If youd like to add a side salad, try it with a Cucumber Salad for lovely contrasting crisp freshness, or for something different (and totally fabulous), a French Carrot Salad with Honey Dijon Dressing! Nagi x
PS Some recipes dress up Pea and Ham soup by adding spinach or frozen peas at the end to make the soup colour greener. I choose to celebrate the unattractiveness and focus on flavour, flavour, flavour!
Watch how to make it
Pea and Ham Soup (slow cooker or stove)
Recipe video above. This is a fabulous "throw it all in the slow cooker" soup. There's no need to cook the onion separately it "sauts" itself in the fat from the ham that rises to the surface. Thick, hearty soup broth infused with incredible flavour from the ham!
- 500g / 1lb dried split peas
- 1.2-1.5kg / 2.4-5lb ham hock (, bacon hock or MEATY leftover ham bone (Note 1))
- 1/4 tsp salt ((start with less, adjust later))
- 3/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 garlic cloves (, minced)
- 2 bay leaves (, dried or fresh)
- 1 onion (, finely chopped)
- 1 carrot (, peeled and finely chopped)
- 2 celery sticks (, finely chopped)
- 8 cups (2 litres/qts) water
Garnishes / serving:
- Parsley (, finely chopped)
- Crusty bread for dunking!
- Place peas in slow cooker, push ham in. Scatter all ingredients around the ham bone, then pour over water.
-
Slow cook 8 to 10 hours on LOW or 6 hours on HIGH. (Or 2.5 hours on low on stove)
- Remove ham bone, shred ham meat. Discard bone and fatty skin.
- Remove bay leaves. Use a stick blender to blitz 2 or 3 times thickens soup but doesnt make it completely smooth (my preference, you can blend completely if you want).
- Return ham into slow cooker, stir. Taste and add more salt if needed.
- Serve garnished with parsley, if desired!
1. Ham bone bacon and ham hocks can be purchased, over some deli counters or vac packed. They are great because theyre intended for this purpose so theyre super meaty and full of smokey flavour.
If using LEFTOVER HAM BONE then make sure theres a decent amount of ham on it still because thats key to the flavour in this soup.
If you cant find a hock at least 1kg/2lb OR if you leftover ham bone is really naked, then buy a chunk of ham, chop it into ~5cm/2 pieces and throw that in with the bone (to impart flavour into soup and for shredding later).
If your soup is lacking in flavour due to the small size of your ham bone and you dont have extra ham, add in a sprinkle of chicken stock powder (chicken bouillon) to give it a flavour boost (I do this when I open a ham bone given to me by friends only find its completely naked and devoid of meat!!).
2. Nutrition per serving. This is for a hearty sized bowl that will keep you full!
Life of Dozer
This is what he does on cleaning days he gets sick of trailing me up and down the stairs as I whizz back and forth between floors with brooms and mops and vacuum cleaners so he eventually just plonks himself down halfway on the landing.
Dont you love how relaxed he looks while Im hot, sweaty and exhausted from manic cleaning??
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