Creamy Traditional Split Pea Soup (Printable)

A creamy, comforting bowl packed with hearty vegetables and smoky flavors, perfect for warming up on cold winter days.

# What You 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 vegetable broth. If using ham or ham bone, add it now.
04 - Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until peas are soft and soup thickens.
05 - Remove the ham bone if used and bay leaf. If using ham, stir diced ham 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 Suggestions:

01 -
  • It's the kind of soup that tastes like it simmered all day, but you'll have it ready in under two hours.
  • One pot means minimal cleanup, which feels like a small victory on busy weeknights.
  • Naturally vegetarian and gluten-free when you use the right broth, so everyone at the table can eat it without worry.
02 -
  • Rinsing the split peas isn't just a suggestion—it genuinely affects the clarity and taste of your finished soup, and I learned this by making cloudy batches for months.
  • This soup thickens considerably as it cools, so if it seems a bit thin at serving time, that's actually perfect, because leftovers become almost stew-like and that's where the magic happens.
03 -
  • Don't skip the initial sauté of your aromatics—those five minutes of caramelization create a depth that simmering alone will never achieve.
  • If you use a ham bone instead of diced ham, nestle it in the pot and let it flavor everything as the soup cooks, then discard it at the end; the difference in flavor is worth the extra step.
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