Split Pea Soup
Ingredients
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- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 yellow onion – small dice
- 2 carrot – small dice
- 2 celery stalk – small dice
- 3 cloves garlic – minced
- 16 ounces dried split peas – rinsed and picked over
- 1 smoked ham hock
- 2 leaves bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 8 cups water
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- flat-leaf parsley – chopped (for serving)
Instructions
1. Rinse and pick over the split peas; set aside. Dice the onion, carrots, and celery, and mince the garlic.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring, until softened and lightly sweet, 5–7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds.
3. Stir in the split peas, ham hock, bay leaves, thyme, black pepper, and water. Bring to a boil, then skim any foam. Reduce to a gentle simmer, partially cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the peas are very tender and beginning to disintegrate, 60–75 minutes. Add hot water 0.5 cup at a time if the soup gets too thick before the peas are soft.
4. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Transfer the ham hock to a board; when cool enough to handle, pull off and chop the meat, discarding skin, bone, and excess fat. Return the chopped meat to the pot.
5. Adjust texture: for a creamier soup, mash some peas against the pot with a spoon or blend 1–2 cups and return to the pot. If too thick, loosen with hot water to your preferred consistency.
6. Season with the kosher salt and additional pepper to taste. Simmer 5 minutes more to meld flavors. Serve hot, topped with chopped parsley.
Split Pea Soup is a hearty, comforting bowl built on the earthy sweetness of dried peas and the smoky savor of pork. The peas simmer down into a creamy body without any dairy, while a classic mirepoix of onion, carrot, and celery adds gentle sweetness and backbone. Aromatics like bay leaf and thyme give a round, herbaceous finish, and the tender bits of ham provide richness and a satisfying chew.
Pea soups have been cooked since antiquity, but the version most familiar in North America took shape with preserved pork and dried legumes as pantry staples. In the United States, split pea soup gained popularity through home kitchens, diners, and even Navy galleys, where it was prized for economy and nutrition. Related traditions exist across the Atlantic—Dutch erwtensoep (snert), Swedish ärtsoppa, and French-Canadian pea soup—each with its own texture and garnishes, but all celebrating the same enduring pairing of peas and pork.