What To Serve With Split Pea Soup
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If you’ve never had homemade split pea soup, then let me be the first to tell you: this creamy one-pot soup is a rich, satisfying, and cozy meal that is comforting all year long. While peas may seem like the star of the show, the true major player is the smoked ham hock. It adds a savory, meaty goodness to this soup that truly takes it over the top. Sold yet? Here are some more tips on how to make it the best it can be:
What People Are Saying:
“Made this soup tonight and it was ahh....mazing! A new family favorite. Thanks so much!” - CyndiLouWho
“Followed this recipe exactly! Absolutely delicious! We ate it with homemade beer bread!” - CyanAnchor
Heat some extra-virgin olive oil in a Dutch oven (or large pot) over medium heat. Add the ham hocks and cook, stirring occasionally, until they’re golden brown and crisp. This should only take around 2 minutes per side, then transfer to a plate.
Then, in the same pot over medium heat, combine the onions, carrots, celery, and leeks. Season well with salt and pepper, then cook—while stirring occasionally—until they’re softened. Once softened, add the garlic, bay leaves, and thyme, then cook while stirring until fragrant. Then, add the peas, broth, and ham hock—bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and bring it to a simmer. Mostly cover the pot and cook, while stirring occasionally, until the peas are tender. If the soup starts to become too thick, then add more water or broth, a bit at a time.
After the peas are tender, remove the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Put the ham hock on a cutting board, then use two forks to shred the meat. While that is set aside, we’re going to puree around one-quarter of the soup. You can do this with an immersion blender or a standard blender, but if you use a standard blender, be careful not to burn yourself! Then, return the pureed soup to the pot along with freshly squeezed lemon juice and shredded ham hock. Then season with salt and pepper. Give it a taste, and adjust the seasonings as needed.
Divide the soup among the bowls, then top with thyme leaves and more pepper if you so desire.
The full list of ingredients and instructions can be found in the recipe below.
If you’d like to make a vegetarian version of this split pea soup, simply omit the ham hock and use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. If you still want to capture that smoky flavor, you can add a dash of smoked paprika.
Want to make this more hands-off? Check out our slow-cooker split pea soup or Instant Pot split pea soup.
This soup is a great make-ahead dinner. You can freeze individual portions for up to 6 months. If you find that the soup is thicker than you’d like after defrosting, simply add more broth or water to reach your desired texture. Then warm it on the stove and dig in!
extra-virgin olive oil
smoked ham hocks (1 1/2 to 2 lb. total)
medium yellow onion, chopped
medium carrots, finely chopped
medium stalks celery, finely chopped
medium leeks, white and pale green parts only, sliced into thin half-moons
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
cloves garlic, finely chopped
bay leaves
dried thyme or 2 sprigs fresh thyme, plus fresh thyme leaves for serving
dried green split peas, rinsed, picked through
(or more) low-sodium chicken broth
lemon, juiced (about 2 tbsp.)
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