Creamy Split Pea Soup (Printable Version)

A creamy, comforting soup packed with vegetables and smoky flavors perfect for cold weather.

# What You'll Need:

→ Legumes

01 - 2 cups dried split green peas, rinsed

→ Vegetables

02 - 1 large onion, diced
03 - 2 carrots, peeled and diced
04 - 2 celery stalks, diced
05 - 2 garlic cloves, minced
06 - 1 medium potato, peeled and diced

→ Aromatics & Liquids

07 - 1 bay leaf
08 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
09 - 6 cups vegetable broth
10 - 1 tablespoon olive oil

→ Optional

11 - 1 cup diced smoked ham or 1 ham bone

→ Seasonings

12 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
13 - Salt to taste

# Directions:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add diced onion, carrots, and celery; sauté for 5 minutes until vegetables begin to soften.
02 - Stir in minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Add split peas, diced potato, bay leaf, dried thyme, and vegetable broth. If desired, add ham or ham bone for traditional flavor.
04 - Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until peas are tender and soup thickens.
05 - Remove bay leaf and ham bone if used. If using diced ham, stir it back into the soup.
06 - For creamier consistency, use an immersion blender to puree portion of soup, or blend half in a blender and return to pot.
07 - Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Serve hot.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It's a one-pot wonder that tastes like you've been cooking all day, but actually takes less time than you'd expect.
  • The peas break down into natural creaminess without any cream, making it feel indulgent but genuinely wholesome.
  • Leftovers taste even better the next day as the flavors deepen, so you're basically getting two great meals from one cook session.
02 -
  • Don't skip the initial sauté of the vegetables—those few minutes of softening create flavor that can't be rushed, and the soup will taste flat if you skip directly to boiling.
  • The soup will thicken significantly as it cools and sits, so if it seems slightly thin when you're plating it, that's actually perfect because it'll be the right consistency by the next day.
03 -
  • If you're using a ham bone instead of diced ham, let it simmer the full hour to extract all that smoky, savory flavor into the broth, which is where the real magic lives.
  • Immersion blenders make this step effortless, but if you don't have one, ladling some soup into a blender in batches works just fine and gives you a moment to step back and breathe in how good your kitchen smells.
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