Split Pea and Ham Soup

Name: Split Pea and Ham Soup
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 70 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: ¼ cup Olive Oil (1/4 cup olive oil); 4 cup Yellow Onion (4 cups diced onions, from 2 medium to large); 1 ½ cup Carrot (1.5 to 2 cups diced carrots — up to 2); 1 cup Celery (1 to 1.5 cups diced celery — up to 1.5); 1 tbsp Cumin Seeds (1 tablespoon cumin seeds or 2 teaspoons ground cumin); 0 pieces Kosher Salt (kosher salt to taste); 1 clove Garlic (1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced — up to 2); 1 piece Ham Bone (1 ham bone, if you have it, or 1 ham hock, see notes above if making without) — optional; 2 pieces Bay Leaves (1 bay leaf + 1 bay leaf); 1 lb Split Pea (1 lb. split peas (about 2 heaping cups), rinsed, see notes above); 8 cup Water (8 to 10 cups water, plus more as needed — up to 10); 0 pieces Black Pepper (fresh cracked pepper to taste); 2 cup Ham (2 cups diced ham, optional) — optional

A hearty American split pea soup simmered with vegetables and a ham bone, optionally finished with diced ham and homemade croutons.

70 minAmerican

Servings4

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Ingredients

For 4 servings

Olive Oil¼ cup · 1/4 cup olive oil
Yellow Onion4 cup · 4 cups diced onions, from 2 medium to large
Carrot1 ½ cup · 1.5 to 2 cups diced carrots — up to 2
Celery1 cup · 1 to 1.5 cups diced celery — up to 1.5
Cumin Seeds1 tbsp · 1 tablespoon cumin seeds or 2 teaspoons ground cumin
Kosher Salt0 pieces · kosher salt to taste
Garlic1 clove · 1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced — up to 2
Ham Bone1 piece · 1 ham bone, if you have it, or 1 ham hock, see notes above if making without · optional
Bay Leaves2 pieces · 1 bay leaf + 1 bay leaf
Split Pea1 lb · 1 lb. split peas (about 2 heaping cups), rinsed, see notes above
Water8 cup · 8 to 10 cups water, plus more as needed — up to 10
Black Pepper0 pieces · fresh cracked pepper to taste
Ham2 cup · 2 cups diced ham, optional · optional

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Steps

1In a large pot, heat the oil over high heat. When it shimmers, add the onions, carrots, celery, and cumin seeds or ground cumin. Season with a pinch of kosher salt. Give it a stir. Turn heat to low. Cover and cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until vegetables have lost their firmness and have softened a bit.
2If you haven’t rinsed your split peas, do that now. Let drain in a sieve.
3Uncover the pot, add the garlic, and cook for about a minute. Add the ham bone, bay leaf, and split peas. Add 8 cups of water. Season with a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil; then lower heat so that everything is just simmering. Check the soup at 30 minutes and give it a stir. You likely will need to add more water. I consistently add at least 2 more cups of water. Season generously (if you wish) with pepper.
4Cook for at least 15 minutes more (roughly 45 minutes total, though depending on your split peas, it may take more or less time). Taste. It’s done when the split peas have totally broken down. Add salt to taste. (Note: Depending on your ham bone, you will need to add more or less salt, so taste the soup, and add salt as needed to ensure it is seasoned to your liking.)
5Remove the ham bone. Retrieve any large hunks of meat that may have fallen into the soup off the ham bone. Remove any pieces of meat clinging to the ham bone. Dice up the ham and add it back to the soup. If it wasn’t a particularly meaty ham bone, you may want to add more diced ham to the soup — it’s totally up to your tastes and preferences — it’s delicious without ham; it’s delicious with ham. Once the ham has been added, give it a stir, and one final taste. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6To make croutons
7Dice up 3/4 pound bread (roughly). Place in a bowl. Toss with about 1/4 cup olive oil and season with salt to taste. Toast in the oven at 425ºF for 10-15 minutes or until golden to your liking.
8Serve soup topped with croutons or with bread on the side. See notes above for freezing.