Split Pea and Ham Soup

• servings: 8 servings
• total time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

3 tablespoons (45g) unsalted butter

1 medium onion, finely diced (about 6 ounces; 170g)

1 large rib celery, finely diced (about 4 ounces; 125g)

6 ounces (170g) ham steak, diced, or one ham hock

2 medium cloves garlic, minced

1 pound (450g) dried green split peas

2 quarts (2L) homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock, or water

2 bay leaves

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In a large Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and ham (if using diced ham) and cook, stirring, until softened but not browned, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds.

Add peas, chicken stock or water, and bay leaves; if using a ham hock, add it now. Stir to combine, bring to a boil, reduce to a bare simmer, and cover, leaving lid slightly ajar. Cook until peas are tender, about 1 hour. If using a ham hock, transfer to a plate, let cool slightly, then pick meat, discarding bones.

If a creamier soup is desired, pulse soup using an immersion blender (or puree a portion of the peas and broth in a countertop blender before returning to soup pot), until very roughly pureed but still chunky. Return picked ham hock meat, if using, to soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Soup can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: Serves 6 to 8
• Calories: 295 kcal
• Total Fat: 6 g
• Saturated Fat: 3 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
• Cholesterol: 22 mg
• Sodium: 997 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 40 g
• Dietary Fiber: 15 g
• Total Sugars: 6 g
• Protein: 22 g