Hearty split pea and carrot soup is filled with fresh vegetables and savory ham from a leftover ham bone after a holiday feast. Seasoned with a bit of Creole seasoning and cayenne for a pinch of heat, this cozy soup is perfect for making ahead for the freezer.
PREP TIME 10 minutesminutes
COOK TIME 1 hourhour
TOTAL TIME 1 hourhour10 minutesminutes
YIELD 8servings
Ingredients
2tablespoonsolive oil
1onionchopped
3stalkscelerychopped
3carrotschopped
1teaspooncreole seasoning blend*see notes
1/4teaspooncayenne*see notes
4cupschicken stock
4 - 6cups water, enough to cover your ham bone
1leftover ham bone from a spiral ham
1pounddried green split peasrinsed in cold water and drained
3sprigsfresh thymeor 1 tsp dried thyme
2dried bay leaves
Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
Add the olive oil to a large soup pot and heat it over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onions, celery and carrots and stir. Cook the vegetables for 5 minutes or until the onions have softened and become translucent.
Add the creole seasoning and cayenne pepper to the vegetables and stir. Toast the spices for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
Add the chicken stock and water to the pot. Scrape the bottom of the pot to make sure all the seasonings are incorporated into the broth.
Carefully lower the ham bone into the broth. If it is not completely submerged, add another cup or so of water and stir.
Rinse the split peas in cold water in a strainer. Drain them and scrape them into the broth and stir. Add the fresh thyme and bay leaves to the pot.
Bring the entire mixture up to a boil over high heat. Lower the temp to medium-low and keep it simmering for 45 minutes.
Use a slotted spoon and/or tongs to remove the ham from the pot and place it on a cutting board. Shred the meat from the bone and return the meat to the pot. Discard the bone.
Continue to simmer the soup until the peas have completely softened and thickened the broth, about 10 - 15 minutes. If the soup is too thick, add additional water 1/4 cup at a time until proper consistency has been reached.
Taste and add salt and pepper as desired.
Recipe Notes
A Note on Seasonings
If you are cooking the soup with a leftover ham bone from a spiral ham after a holiday meal, you will want to add some seasonings to give the soup depth.Creole blends have a variety of seasonings including paprika, garlic, onion, chiles, oregano, and thyme but are not very spicy. The cayenne adds the heat and can be used to add more or less spice to the broth.If you are able to buy a tasso ham locally, you can substitute that for the ham bone and omit the spices.