Split Pea Soup with Ham Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Do split peas need to be soaked before cooking? ›

It's true, soaking peas overnight in water shortens their cooking time. But soaking isn't entirely necessary. Split peas cook relatively quickly. Unsoaked peas take from 1 to 2 hours of simmering; soaked peas take about 40 minutes.

Using onions, garlic, and fresh spices like thyme will add flavor to the soup. The real trick to making a bland pea soup extra tasty is using a bone or ham hock in the soup during the cooking process. Chicken broth will also add flavor to the soup.

However not thickened with traditional methods, the thickness of this soup comes from the cooking down of the split peas themselves. The longer you cook the pea occupied broth, the thicker the soup gets. This is a preference, so you choose your thickness.

How do you make pea soup not gassy? Using Ayurvedic cooking methods, rinsing and soaking your peas before cooking, and eating them in a balanced meal help make pea soup not gassy.

Always “sort and rinse” dry split peas. "Sorting" mean looking through dry peas for rocks, broken peas, and non- split pea pulses and remove them. Rinse dry peas under cool water before adding to recipes. This helps remove dust and dirt.

Bay leaves, thyme and parsley – fresh or dry herbs work well here. Salt and pepper – I like to wait to add majority of salt until the ham has cooked with the soup, some hams tend to be very salty while others not as much so if you wait you won't over-salt the soup.

The common denominator will probably be meat (ham bones are common), more salt, and pepper to taste. If you want to take a shortcut, you could use bouillon cubes or paste to provide both meaty flavor and salt, though pork is a lot harder to find than chicken or beef. Salt and pepper you can just stir in.

Got a soup that tastes a little bland and unexciting? Add a splash of vinegar (any kind!), or a squeeze of citrus. Chances are, you could use a little more salt.

Cooking. Bring about 1.5 cups of water or broth to a boil for every cup of lentils or split peas. Add the lentils, allow water to return to boiling, reduce heat, partially cover pan, and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes, depending on the variety.

Serve With

All you need is some Crusty French Bread, Dinner Rolls, or Biscuits to go with it. If you want to make this Split Pea Soup even better, try these toppings: Bacon Bits – add a nice salty bite. Croutons – homemade is best, but you can also use storebought.

Can you overcook pea soup? ›

Update: If you overcook, the soup will get even thicker than usual! and turn a little bit of an olive drab color--it will still taste good though!"

A recipe for "pea soup" from 1905 is made with split peas, salt pork and cold roast beef. The soup is strained through a sieve to achieve the desired texture. "Split pea soup" is a slightly thinner soup with visible peas and pieces of ham, especially popular in the Northeast, the Midwest and the Pacific Northwest.

Why Are My Split Peas Not Softening? In this soup, the peas should be soft after about 1 to 1 1/2 hours cooking time. If you take a taste after this time and they haven't softened, your peas are likely stale. Buy a fresh batch before making the soup again.

Lentils and peas are softer than dried beans. They'll cook within 5 to 20 minutes without any soaking time.

If the peas are very old and dried out, they won't soften.