Split Pea Soup

One day I had a ham bone . . .

That’s how this story starts anyway, and then it continues all the way through to a delicious pot of split pea soup. It is important to note here that if your story doesn’t start with “one day I had a ham bone”, you can still cook up a revised version of this story. This soup can be made using water or vegetable broth, which is how the ingredients are listed below, but if you have that ham bone, it’s even better!

I am extra excited about this particular ham bone, it was special ☺️. I had purchased some pork from a local farmer who raises and cares for his pork organically, so I know my broth will be good and healthy. It is so hard to find quality pork at the market, but don’t give up, research your local resources!

If you are starting with a ham bone, simply simmer it for several hours covered with water in a heavy pot such as a dutch oven. Or, my preference, cook it for 50 minutes in the instant pot covered with water and you have really good broth. Then, when you are putting together the soup ingredients, substitute the 4 cups of water/broth listed in the ingredients with the ham broth. I’m not always good with exact measurements so it’s a good idea to keep extra broth on hand in case the soup gets too thick or too heavy with vegetables. It is a very flexible recipe.

INGREDIENTS -

1 cup dry split peas
1 1/2 cups sweet onion, chopped
2 cups carrot, diced
2 cups celery, sliced
4 cups water or vegetable broth
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp butter
1 medium bay leaf

In a large dutch oven or other heavy pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery and stir frequently for about ten minutes until they are softened and flavors are released. Add the split peas, 4 cups of the water/broth, 1 teaspoon of salt, and the bay leaf. Cover and let simmer for one hour.

Can you believe how easy that is? A little swirl of olive oil on top along with some parsley garnish makes a lovely presentation and adds to the flavor.

And that’s the end of my story . . . Enjoy!