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.
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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.
How to make it
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 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 shorten the cooking time, it is not necessary. 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.
If not they are not pre-soaked, just follow the recipe as written.
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 bay leaf
- 1 tbsp 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.
irinka says
Hi, can yellow split peas be substituted with green split peas?
vikalinka says
Absolutely
Louise | Cygnet Kitchen says
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
vikalinka says
It really is, I’ve made two big batches in 3 weeks, this weather just won’t quit!!
Skeezix says
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.
Lucy Parissi says
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!
vikalinka says
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. 😉
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy says
It is just perfect soup weather here. Comforting pulse bases soups like this are what we are really enjoying at the moment too.
vikalinka says
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!
Annie says
Just wondering, can split peas be substituted with regular green peas?
vikalinka says
Hi, Annie, yes they can!
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers says
Such a lovely bowl of soup, Julia and love the slow approach. It’s definitely a bowl of goodness 🙂
vikalinka says
Thank you, Jennifer! You can never go wrong with a classic recipe, especially when it comes from a mom! 🙂