Ham Split Pea Soup Carrots (Print version)

Smoky ham, tender split peas, and sweet carrots combine for a nourishing, flavorful dish.

# What You Need:

→ Meats

01 - 1 pound smoked ham hock or diced cooked ham

→ Legumes

02 - 1 pound dried green split peas, rinsed and sorted

→ Vegetables

03 - 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
04 - 2 celery stalks, diced
05 - 1 large onion, diced
06 - 2 cloves garlic, minced

→ Liquids

07 - 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth or water

→ Herbs & Seasonings

08 - 2 bay leaves
09 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
10 - 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
11 - Salt to taste

# Directions:

01 - Heat oil in large soup pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté for 5-7 minutes until softened.
02 - Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
03 - Stir in split peas, ham hock or diced ham, bay leaves, thyme, and black pepper.
04 - Pour in chicken broth or water and stir to combine.
05 - Bring to boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 1 to 1.5 hours, stirring occasionally, until peas are tender and soup thickens.
06 - Remove ham hock if used. Shred any meat from bone, discard fat and bone, and return meat to soup.
07 - Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Remove bay leaves before serving.
08 - Ladle into bowls and serve hot with crusty bread or crackers.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The soup gets better as it sits, so you can make it ahead and let the flavors deepen naturally.
  • Split peas do the heavy lifting here—they thicken the broth on their own without any cream or shortcuts.
  • One ham hock feeds six people and costs almost nothing, making this the kind of meal that proves simple ingredients win every time.
02 -
  • Forget the bay leaves and you'll bite into one—it tastes terrible and ruins an otherwise perfect spoonful, so remove them before anyone eats.
  • The soup thickens as it cools, so if yours looks too thin at the end of cooking, it will set up perfectly by the next day.
03 -
  • Don't skip sorting the split peas—a tiny stone hiding in there will crack a tooth and ruin the whole experience.
  • Taste as you go during that last 20 minutes of cooking; peas soften at different rates depending on age and humidity, so trust your senses more than the clock.
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