Creamy Split Pea Soup (Printable Version)

A comforting bowl packed with hearty vegetables, split peas, and smoky depth, perfect for cold winter days.

# 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 softened.
02 - Stir in minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Add split peas, diced potato, bay leaf, thyme, and broth. If using, add ham or ham bone.
04 - Bring 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 the ham bone if used and bay leaf. If using diced ham, stir it back into the soup.
06 - For a creamier texture, use an immersion blender to puree part of the soup, or blend half in a blender and return to the pot.
07 - Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It's impossibly forgiving—split peas practically cook themselves into creaminess, so there's almost no way to mess this up.
  • One pot means minimal cleanup, which matters when you're cooking on a day when you'd rather not think too hard.
  • The flavor deepens as it sits, making it perfect for batch cooking or serving the next day when it tastes even better.
02 -
  • Don't skip rinsing the split peas—that starchy coating will make your soup cloudy and slightly gummy if you don't rinse it away.
  • This soup thickens as it cools, so what looks like the perfect consistency on day one might need thinning with broth or water when you reheat it, and that's completely normal.
03 -
  • Let the soup cool slightly before using an immersion blender, and always keep the blade submerged under the liquid to avoid splashing hot soup everywhere.
  • If you want maximum flavor, use a ham bone instead of diced ham—simmer it the whole time and the bones add depth that chunks of meat can't quite match.
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