Split Pea Soup with Ham (Instant Pot or Stove Top)

This Split Pea Soup with Ham is the perfect meal to use up leftover baked ham (but don’t worry there is an option to use ham steak as well)! It’s a comfort meal in a bowl: warm, hearty and so delicious! This one-pot meal is easily going to be your new favorite soup!

Split Pea Soup with Ham

I’ve been wanting to make a Split Pea and Ham Soup recipe for so long now! While we were planning out our holiday menu for LCK the first thing I thought after we decided we were making a Maple Glazed Ham was SPLIT PEA SOUP! And this one does not disappoint. It’s so flavorful and the ultimate comfort food! The whole thing simmers away in one pot on the stove, and while it has some cooking time to it, it’s really easy to put together.

We use of course the leftover ham bone from our baked ham, but you can easily swap it out for a store-bought ham steak. This soup has such a classic flavor but we have two secret ingredients that really make this soup special: a pinch of nutmeg really rounds out the flavor of the soup and a touch of apple cider vinegar at the end of cooking brightens everything up! We know you are going to love this comforting soup as much as we do!

Additionally if you are looking for a Split Pea Soup recipe and prefer to leave the ham out all together, this recipe will work well without the meat. Just make sure to use a high-quality vegetable stock, or better yet, a homemade one!

This soup takes about an hour and a half to cook. If you don’t have all that time before you want to get dinner on the table and you have an Instant Pot go ahead and use that! We’ve included directions for that in the recipe! The peas don’t hold their shape as well in the Instant Pot so this soup is slightly pureed, but just as tasty.

How to Make Split Pea Soup with Ham

1. First you start by cooking up the onion, carrots and celery until they’re nice and soft. Next add in the spices and garlic and cook until aromatic.
2. At this stage you are going to add in your dried split peas and leftover hambone, along with broth and water and cover to cook. Start with 2 cups of water, and add more if needed to reach your desired consistency of the soup. The longer you cook, the more broken down the peas will get, causing the soup to get thicker.
3. Uncover and add diced ham and continue to cook down the soup, until the peas are cooked to your desired consistency. You can add more water, if needed.
4. Finally add in a splash of apple cider vinegar, and additional salt and pepper. This helps brighten up the flavor of the dish. Before serving, remove the hambone and chop up any leftover meat and add to the pot. Serve immediately.

If you like this soup recipe, check out these others:

• Turkey Wild Rice Soup
• Hot and Sour Soup (Vegetarian)
• Easy Black Bean Soup (Vegan)
• Lasagna Soup (Gluten-Free)
• Easy Roasted Poblano & Chicken Soup
• Classic Chicken Soup (Slow Cooker and Instant Pot)

Watch the video here:

Split Pea Soup with Ham (Instant Pot or Stove Top)

5 from 4 votes

This Split Pea and Ham Soup is the perfect meal to use up leftover baked ham (but don't worry there is an option to use ham steak as well)! It's a comfort meal in a bowl: warm, hearty and so delicious! This one pot meal is easily going to be your new favorite soup!

Servings 6

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

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Ingredients

  

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• 2 tablespoon grass-fed butter
• 1 large onion diced
• 2 carrots diced
• 2 stalks celery diced
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
• Pinch ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 16 ounces green split peas sorted, rinsed and drained
• 1 leftover hambone from Baked Ham (see note)
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 2-3 cups of water plus additional
• 2 cups leftover ham diced, plus any from hambone
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• Additional Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

To Make it on the Stove Top:

• Heat a large dutch oven over medium heat and add butter.
• Once hot, add onion, carrots, and celery and cook until beginning to soft, about 8-10 minutes.
• Add garlic, and all spices and saute for 1 minute more.
• Add peas, hambone, bay leaf, broth and 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 1 hour. 
• Uncover and add diced ham and cook until desired consistency, stirring occasionally, about 30-45 minutes. If the soup is getting too thick, add more water as needed.
• Add apple cider vinegar, and additional salt and pepper. Remove the hambone and chop up any leftover meat and add to the pot. Serve immediately.

To make in the Instant Pot:

• In a 6 or 8 Quart Instant Pot press the saute function and add butter.
• Once hot, add onion, carrots, and celery and cook until beginning to soften, about 8-10 minutes.
• Add garlic, and all spices and saute for 1 minute more.
• Add spices, peas, hambone, bay leaf, broth and water (making sure it doesn't go above 1/2 way up the Instant Pot) and set to manual pressure for 20 minutes.
• Use the natural release function for 15 minutes, and then release the remaining pressure.
• Add apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper to taste.

Notes

1. Please note the Instant Pot version is a more pureed version than the stove top.
2. If you don’t have a leftover hambone replace all of the liquid with stock and use an equivalent amount of smoked boneless ham steak.
3. Want to make this vegetarian? Leave out the ham bone and ham and swap the stock out for a high-quality vegetable stock, or better yet a homemade one!

Nutrition

Serving: 6gCalories: 393kcalCarbohydrates: 52.9gProtein: 27.1gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 36mgSodium: 1028mgFiber: 21gSugar: 8.7g

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Gluten-free

Author: Lexi

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