Creamy Traditional Split Pea Soup (Print Version)

A velvety soup brimming with split peas, vegetables, and smoky undertones for ultimate comfort.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Legumes

01 - 2 cups dried split green peas, rinsed

→ Vegetables

02 - 1 large onion, diced
03 - 2 carrots, peeled and diced
04 - 2 celery stalks, diced
05 - 2 garlic cloves, minced
06 - 1 medium potato, peeled and diced

→ Aromatics & Liquids

07 - 1 bay leaf
08 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
09 - 6 cups vegetable broth
10 - 1 tablespoon olive oil

→ Optional

11 - 1 cup diced smoked ham or 1 ham bone

→ Seasonings

12 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
13 - Salt, to taste

# Step-by-Step:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add diced onion, carrots, and celery; sauté for 5 minutes until softened.
02 - Stir in minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Add split peas, diced potato, bay leaf, thyme, and vegetable broth. Add ham or ham bone if using.
04 - Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until peas are tender and soup thickens.
05 - Remove ham bone and bay leaf from pot. If using diced ham, stir it back into the soup.
06 - For creamier texture, use an immersion blender to partially puree soup, or blend half the soup in a blender and return to pot.
07 - Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Serve hot.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It comes together with pantry staples, so you're never far from a bowl of actual comfort.
  • The soup gets naturally creamy without any cream, which feels like a small kitchen magic trick.
  • It reheats beautifully and tastes even better the next day, making it perfect for meal planning without any fuss.
02 -
  • The soup will thicken significantly as it cools, so if it looks a tiny bit too thin when you're done cooking, it's actually perfect—trust the process because future you will be grateful.
  • Don't skip rinsing the split peas, because I learned the hard way that unrinsed peas make the whole pot look murky and cloudy instead of that beautiful pale green color that makes people think you actually know what you're doing.
03 -
  • If your soup breaks or separates during freezing, don't panic—just reheat it gently over low heat and stir frequently until it comes back together, because split pea soup is actually very forgiving despite how temperamental it might seem.
  • Keep the ham bone if you use one, because you can simmer it in water for broth next time and waste nothing, which feels good in a way that's hard to explain but easy to feel.
Return