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A delicious and incredibly easy yellow split pea soup with ham and a sprinkling of fresh herbs. Simple to make yet so satisfying in cold weather! Serve this soup with our no knead 2 hour Dutch Oven Bread for a tasty lunch or dinner.
If you are a fan of comforting soups, take a look at our Soup archives. An array of recipes featuring different flavours are waiting for you!
We have officially reached the “soup weather” and soup we’ve had! This recipe for yellow split pea soup comes from my mother. As easy as this soup is, it is quite fabulous.
I grew up in a Russian household, where soup had to be consumed “to stay healthy” for every lunch. As a little girl I hated all soups except this one, which came as a big surprise to my mother.
After all, split peas are traditionally thought to be a “poor man’s food”. Cheap and plain.
As plain as split peas are, they transform beautifully in this soup. Enhanced by the flavour of ham and herbs, they turn into a hearty and thick medley. It makes a wholesome and nourishing lunch or dinner.
Split pea soup
I had to recall my mother’s recipe as I didn’t want to mess with perfection. Don’t be put off by the short ingredient list. Quality ingredients and a longer cooking time are responsible for this soup success.
This recipe uses yellow split peas, unsmoked gammon steaks (uncooked ham) or pork shoulder, onions, a bit of garlic and carrots. It’s also made fragrant with dill and parsley.
One hour of slow simmering infuses the broth with so much goodness, which gives this split pea soup its distinct flavour. What else? It’s extremely filling and economical!
Do split peas need to be soaked before cooking?
While pre-soaking the split peas will shorten the cooking time, it is not essential. You can soak them the night before if you remember, and it will only take about 30-40 minutes of simmering to get them fully cooked and perfectly tender.
If not they are not pre-soaked, just follow the recipe as written until you are happy with the texture.
Recipe Tip
- I’ve used unsmoked gammon to make the soup, but that’s mostly because it’s what I had available. Truth is that this split pea soup recipe is forgiving and can be adapted to what you have at hand. Smoked ham hock will be fantastic, and of course smoked gammon is an option.
- Because you can use leftover ham, it’s a great one to have on hand for using up leftovers after Christmas, Easter or other holidays.
- Vegeta seasoning is a seasoning that originates in Eastern Europe, made from salt, dehydrated vegetables, MSG and some dried spices. It’s an easy way to add dramatically more flavour to lots of recipes, although I’m especially a fan of using it in soups. Just a teaspoon here makes a bit difference. It is optional, though, so feel free to leave it out!
Serving suggestions
Not a lot to add to a hearty soup like this. Pull it out at lunchtime and you have it pretty much sorted. I’ve added a little dill, parsley and black pepper on top of mine to really finish it off.
If you like a little more with your midday meal, you could always add a bit of bread on the side. A chunky white bread is always a winner, but garlic butter dinner rolls are pretty spectacular as well!
And if you like a little crunch in your soup, homemade croutons are the answer!
Storage and leftovers
One of my favourite things to do when making soup is to make plenty of extra so it will last for a couple of meals. It doesn’t really take more effort and makes future meals a snap. Use a large This is an affiliate link.dutch oven or pot so there is enough for all that extra soup.
Just cover the leftovers tightly or add it to an This is an affiliate link.airtight container and keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat in a saucepan on the stovetop, adding a splash of water or broth if it’s looking a bit thick.
The soup can also be frozen for up to three months. I like to freeze in portions so I can take out just enough for what I need. These This is an affiliate link.freezer molds from Souper Cubes are my choice.
When you are ready to take it out, let it thaw overnight in the fridge then heat up on the stovetop over medium heat, making sure to stir occasionally, until it is heated throughout.
More Favourite Soup Recipes
- Chicken and Dumpling Soup
- Mulligatawny Soup
- Instant Pot Cheesy Potato Soup
- Italian Wedding Soup Recipe
- Chicken Vegetable Soup
Yellow Split Pea and Ham Soup
Ingredients
- 3 litres/ 3 quarts water
- 450 g/ 2 cups yellow dried split peas
- 450 g/1 lbs unsmoked gammon steaks or pork/beef, fat trimmed
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp Vegeta seasoning, optional
- 1 This is an affiliate link.bay leaf
- 1 tbsp This is an affiliate link.olive oil
- 2 carrots, sliced
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp of each dill and parsley, chopped
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot add water, yellow dried split peas, unsmoked gammon steaks or pork/beef, a bay leaf and bring to a boil. Add salt and Vegeta seasoning and turn the heat down to allow the soup to simmer.
- You will see a lot of foam forming at the top of the pot, remove with a slotted spoon and discard. Continue doing so until all foam is removed and the broth is clear.
- Let the soup simmer for 50 minutes. While the soup is simmering chop the onion and slice the carrots, saute together over low heat in a pan with olive oil for 10 minutes until soft and fragrant. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 more minute, then take off the heat.
- By now your split peas should be soft and some may be partially falling apart. Remove your gammon steaks or pork/beef from the soup if using and shred it with two forks in a shallow bowl or cut it with a knife. Return to the pot and add the sautéed carrots and onions.
- Add chopped herbs, black pepper, taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
it’s a very good recipe but I had to add about 2-3 cups of chicken broth and water to make sure the peas were covered and would cook the peas through. I didn’t have veget so I improvised with spices. Thyme, oregano, rosemary. The time was a little off for me so I cooked everything together at the end for an additional 15 minutes or so just to get these older peas I had in the pantry to get a little mushy. In the end, with a large thanksgiving smoked spiral ham bone I had frozen with copious meat attached, adding the dill and nutmeg, OMG. I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS RECIPE.
Hi, can yellow split peas be substituted with green split peas?
Absolutely
My mother used to make this when I was little! I think she used a ham hock or bone. So filling and comforting, just what you need when its chilly. x
It really is, I’ve made two big batches in 3 weeks, this weather just won’t quit!!
I always use ham hocks. We put everything into the Instant Pot (2 or 3 ham hocks, a small chopped onion, a large grated carrot, a little chopped celery if I have it, 2 cups of dried split yellow or green peas, and about 10 cups of water). I use the soup function and increase the time to about 55 minutes (depending on whether the hocks are still frozen or not), allowing the pressure to come down naturally. Remove the bones, chop the meat if necessary, and stir well before serving. Smoked ham hocks are usually quite salty, so taste the soup before adding any seasoning.
I can’t imagine having the luxury to have soup, a main course and dessert but it sounds awesome. When can we visit your home country? I grew up with lentil soup (fakes) in Greece which I used to hate and then grew to absolutely love. I have a sneaking suspicion that I will love this soup too!
I know, Lucy! It seems crazy that the cultural expectations in no way can be supported by real life. Who has the time anymore?! I am sure you’ll love the soup though. We can plan a trip to my home country as soon as I return from yours. 😉
It is just perfect soup weather here. Comforting pulse bases soups like this are what we are really enjoying at the moment too.
I love that I can still enjoy warming and comforting meals that are not piling up on my heaps! This soup is so lean and so filling!
Just wondering, can split peas be substituted with regular green peas?
Hi, Annie, yes they can!
Such a lovely bowl of soup, Julia and love the slow approach. It’s definitely a bowl of goodness 🙂
Thank you, Jennifer! You can never go wrong with a classic recipe, especially when it comes from a mom! 🙂