Slow Cooker (or not) Split Pea and Ham Soup
with baguette / green salad
This cozy soup is a Cook Smarts classic, last featured in 2015.
Smarts #1: The ham will impart a lot of flavor to the soup, so be sure to get ham with flavors you would like - honey roasted or smoked, etc. If you’d like to top the bowls of finished soup with some extra chopped ham, reserve a small amount before adding it to the soup.
Smarts #2: The thickness of the soup will vary depending on how much the peas break down, so you may need to stir in some more stock or some water at the end of cooking.
Ingredients
- Onions - 1, diced
- Carrots - 8 oz, diced
- Ham, thick deli-sliced - 6 oz, chopped
- Thyme leaves - 1 tsp
- Oregano, dried - 1/2 tsp
- Red pepper flakes (opt) - 1/4 tsp
- Stock, any type - 4 cups
- Split peas, dried - 1 cup
- Bay leaves - 1
- Sour cream (opt) - for serving (sub plain or Greek yogurt)
- Baguette - 1, sub any crusty bread
- Vinegar, red or white wine - 1 1/2 Tbsp
- Mustard, Dijon - 1 1/2 tsp
- Honey - 1/2 tsp
- Oregano, dried - 1/4 tsp
- Oil, olive - 3 Tbsp
- Grapes - 1 cup, halved
- Mixed greens - 5 oz
- Pistachios, shelled - 1/4 cup (sub any type of nuts)
Nutrition Facts
Prep
- Onions / Carrots / Ham - Prep as directed. Combine onions and carrots. Store ham in its own container. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Make vinaigrette - Whisk together vinegar, mustard, honey, and dried oregano (portion for salad). Add olive oil while whisking. Season with some salt and pepper. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Combine onions, carrots, ham, thyme leaves, dried oregano (portion for slow cooker), red pepper flakes, stock, split peas, and bay leaves in the bowl of a slow cooker. Cook until split peas are completely soft, on high for 2 to 3 hours or low for 5 to 6 hours.
- Grapes - Halve grapes.
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Make
- When soup is done cooking, discard bay leaves. Taste and season with some salt and pepper. If the soup is very thick, thin it with some more stock or water.
- Just before serving, toss greens, pistachios, and grapes in vinaigrette until dressed to your liking.
- Divide soup between bowls and top with sour cream. Serve soup with salad and bread on the side. Enjoy!
Prep
- Onions / Carrots / Ham - Prep as directed. Combine onions and carrots. Store ham in its own container. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Make vinaigrette - Whisk together vinegar, mustard, honey, and dried oregano (portion for salad). Add olive oil while whisking. Season with some salt and pepper. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Grapes - Halve grapes.
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Make
- Heat a Dutch oven with some oil over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, and thyme leaves with some salt. Saute until soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in ham, dried oregano (portion for soup), red pepper flakes, stock, split peas, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil.
- When soup is boiling, reduce heat to a low simmer and cover. Simmer, covered, until peas are completely soft, 40 to 50 minutes.
- When soup is done cooking, discard bay leaves. Taste and season with some salt and pepper. If the soup is very thick, thin it with some more stock or water.
- Just before serving, toss greens, pistachios, and grapes in vinaigrette until dressed to your liking.
- Divide soup between bowls and top with sour cream. Serve soup with salad and bread on the side. Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Reviews
Ratings
27 reviews
This was great and very easy! I used the whole bag of split peas and added some broth throughout the day (slow-cooker on low for about 8 hours). I was generous with the herbs and added 3 cloves of garlic. Don't skip the crusty bread!
0 HelpfulMade this with the Dutch oven stovetop. I also used the whole bag of pea and they cooked down quickly. I’ll need to add a bit more water when reheating but the soup is really good!
0 HelpfulMade this in the instapot — 15 mins on high pressure and the 10 mins release, based on another review. It’s a solid soup — I liked it more than I usually like split pea soup! A good hearty fall meal.
0 HelpfulThis was really good & easy. I suggest using an immersion blender in the soup to break up the peas near the end of cook time.
0 HelpfulI did this in the instant pot for 15 min with a natural release (would have done 15 min, but I was occupied so i think I left it much longer) with 3 cups of broth, and I upped the amount of ham. I immersion blended it just a little. Maybe a tad too much broth, but it got rave reviews! I also added celery. Very easy!
0 Helpful