Split Pea Soup with Ham {just like Mom’s}
I can’t recall many Saturday Adventures with Mom that didn’t involve a quick stop at the Honey Baked Ham store…so I could run in to check for ham bones.
Mom waited in the car, anxiously watching for me to give the thumbs up. You see, years ago when we first began this ritual, they actually gave them away for free. When Mom was on a mission to make Split Pea Soup it wasn’t unheard of for us to hit 2-3 locations before finding the prize.
Imagine being able to make a gallon of Split Pea Soup with Ham for the price of two bags of split peas (less than $3.00).
During the last few years of our Saturday Adventures together our little secret got out and HBH began to charge for their bones. I never had the heart to tell Mom. We found such great pleasure in the hunt and the thrill of victory, that paying for the bone might have just spoiled our fun. It was well worth a $5 bone to continue to share the Adventures and of course Mom’s homemade Split Pea Soup with Ham.
- Score yourself a ham bone, preferably with some ham remaining.
- Place 4 cups of dried split peas in a large bowl; cover with water and soak overnight.
- To make ham stock, place ham bone in a 7 Qt. Dutch Oven; fill pot with water and simmer for 2-3 hours. Skim off any foam as the broth simmers.
- Remove ham bone and pick off bits of good ham. Reserve to return to finished soup.
- Pour ham broth through a fine mesh strainer at least twice to remove any particles. Return broth to dutch oven.
- Strain and rinse soaked split peas, then add to ham broth. Simmer for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally. Watch for foam (which is okay and normal) and skim as necessary. Peas will soften and over time, melt into the broth leaving you with a creamy pea soup.
- In a large saute pan, cook diced onion, celery, and carrot until just tender. Add minced garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes more, season with salt & pepper. Reserve vegetables for finished soup.
- Serve finished soup hot, with a spoonful of warm veggies and ham pieces, and a hunk of crusty bread.
Split Pea Soup with Ham is such a wonderful Sunday dinner….and Monday lunch….with plenty left for the freezer for a cool winter night.
Split Pea Soup with Ham
Ingredients
- 1 ham bone preferably with some ham still attached
- 4 cups dried split peas
- water
- 1 onion fine diced
- 4-5 stalks of celery fine diced
- 4-5 carrots fine diced
- 1-2 garlic cloves minced
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place dried split peas in a large bowl, cover with water and soak overnight.
- Place ham bone in a 7 Qt. Dutch Oven and fill pot with water. Simmer bone for 2-3 hours, skimming off foam as needed.
- Remove ham bone and pick off any good meat. Reserve for finished soup.
- Strain ham broth at least twice through a fine mesh strainer. Return broth to Dutch Oven.
- Drain and rinse soaked split peas and add to broth; simmer over low heat for 2-3 hours until peas softened and melt into broth. Stir often and skim off foam as needed.
- In a large skillet, saute diced vegetables until just tender, then add garlic and saute 2-3 additional minutes, season with salt & pepper.
- Serve finished soup hot, seasoned with salt & pepper, with a spoonful of warm veggies and ham pieces, and a hunk of crusty bread.
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