This is hands down one of my favourite soups to make. The ingredients are cheap and readily available, the effort is fairly low, and the result is delicious and filling! And it’s the perfect way to use the bone after you’ve made Glazed Ham.

The only downside to this recipe is the wallclock time required. The full recipe takes two and a half to three hours to put together, but most of that time is spent letting the soup bubble away doing its thing. If, like me, you’re fortunate enough to be able to work from home, this is pretty doable as a weekday meal. If not, you’ll probably want to save this for the weekend.

Ingredients

Amt Ingredient
1 Small ham hock or ham bone
2 C Green split peas, rinsed and picked over
8 C Cold water1
1 Large carrot, diced
1 Large celery rib, diced
1 Medium onion, diced fine
2 Garlic cloves, minced
Small handful Fresh thyme sprigs
2 T Apple cider vinegar (optional)2

Instructions

  1. In a large stock pot combine ham hock or bone, split peas, and cold water.
  2. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for one hour.
  3. Stir in carrot, celery, onion, garlic, and thyme, and simmer for one more hour.
  4. Remove soup from heat and remove ham hock or bone and thyme sprigs (which should no longer have any leaves on them).
  5. (Optional) Remove 2 C of solids from soup plus some broth, blend until smooth, and return to pot3.
  6. Carefully remove any meat left on the bone, dice, and return to soup, adding additional ham to reach 2 C4.
  7. Return to heat, simmer, and reduce to desired consistency.
  8. (Optional) Stir in apple cider vinegar.
  9. Salt and pepper to taste.

  1. You’re more than welcome to try substituting chicken or vegetable broth, but since this recipe involves making a bone broth, I find water is more than adequate to produce a rich and flavourful soup. ↩

  2. I find a little vinegar adds a very nice tangy dimension that compliments the sweetness of the carrots and the saltiness of the ham. I find apple cider vinegar, in particular, pairs well with the other flavours in this recipe. ↩

  3. I really like French-style blended soups and I think this step really improves the texture and flavour of the final product, but be warned, it could be very dangerous if you’re not careful! Make sure not to get splashed by scalding hot blended split peas. ↩

  4. Note, the meat that was on the bone is going to be pretty devoid of flavour so don’t rely strictly on this. Adding additional cooked ham will result in a much more enjoyable soup. ↩