Split Pea Soup Recipe

### Step 1: Rinse and Sort the Split Peas

Rinse the dried split peas under cold running water in a fine-mesh sieve, spreading them out and picking through to remove any small stones or discolored bits. Tilt the sieve, let excess water drain, and give them one last shake so they appear clean and slightly moist — ready for cooking.

### Step 2: Gently Render Fat and Soften Aromatics

Warm a shallow puddle of olive oil or a knob of butter in a large, deep ceramic cooking vessel set on the tabletop (no stove visible). Add the chopped onion, diced carrots and diced celery and sauté until glossy and softened, their edges translucent and the carrot cubes retaining a bright orange dot of color. The vegetables should look gently sweated, coated in oil, aromatic and slightly collapsed but still textured.

### Step 3: Add Garlic and Toast Briefly

Stir in the minced garlic and let it bloom into the softened vegetables for about a minute until it becomes fragrant and tiny threads of golden friction appear. The garlic should be visibly softened and evenly distributed among the softened mirepoix, adding flecks of pale ivory against the orange and pale green.

### Step 4: Combine Split Peas, Ham, and Aromatics

Stir the rinsed split peas into the vegetable mix along with the ham hock or diced ham, a bay leaf tucked in, and the dried thyme sprinkled over. The dry peas nestle among the softened veg and pink ham pieces, the bay leaf sitting like a small matte green sail.

### Step 5: Add Broth and Begin to Simmer

Pour the chicken or vegetable broth from a clear glass jug into the vessel until the peas are fully submerged, bringing the mixture together into a brothy, slightly crowded pot. Bring everything to a boil briefly, then lower to a gentle simmer; bubbles should be slow, peas beginning to swell and lose their sharp edges as the liquid becomes more opaque and green-tinted.

<br><img src="https://recipeessence.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Split-Pea-Soup-Recipe-step.png" style="width:300px; max-width:300px; height:auto; margin: 0px 0;"/>

### Step 6: Slow Cook Until Peas Are Tender

Maintain a low uncovered simmer for one to one and a half hours, allowing the split peas to break down and the flavors to concentrate. The surface will gather soft scum that can be skimmed, and the peas should look plump and soft, the broth turning into a thick, textured puree of green with suspended orange carrot cubes and pink ham.

### Step 7: Recover the Ham and Bay Leaf

Remove the bay leaf and take out the ham hock, setting it aside on a small plate; shred any meat from the hock and return the tender ribbons to the pot. The shredded ham should look soft and moist, threaded through the thickened soup.

### Step 8: Puree to Desired Consistency

Use an immersion blender to pulse and smooth the soup until it reaches your preferred texture — from slightly chunky with visible pea bits and veg, to very smooth and velvety. The blended surface should glisten, showing a creamy green sheen with occasional identifiable pea fragments and ham chunks depending on your choice.

### Step 9: Final Seasoning and Adjustments

Taste and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, stirring until evenly distributed. The soup should read as balanced and savory, with thyme aroma lifted through the surface and small oily highlights from the olive oil or butter.

### Step 10: Serve Hot with Bread

Ladle the finished split pea soup into the same deep matte ceramic serving vessel, garnish with a sprig of fresh thyme if desired, and place crusty golden-brown rolls nearby. The soup should sit hot, slightly steaming in the bowl, with visible chunks of ham, tender peas, and diced carrots, ready to be enjoyed.

<br><img src="https://recipeessence.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Split-Pea-Soup-Recipe-final-dish.png" style="width:300px; max-width:300px; height:auto; margin: 0px 0;"/>