Split Pea Soup

Over the holidays a close friend invited me and some friends over for dinner.  She surprised us with a very delicious three course meal.  One of the meals happened to be split pea soup.  Can you believe I’ve never tried this soup?  I didn’t even know what to expect.  The soup was rich in color and thick.  Think velvety.  To my surprise there were more ingredients in the soup besides peas.  There were carrots, onions, celery and ham.  All the flavors mixed together made for a savory soup on a cold winters night.  

The best apart about this soup is that it’s made in a crock pot.  Set it and forget it!  What can be more rewarding?!   I own 2 crock pots.  One is very large (7 qts.) and fits my Snebert’s Chili recipe perfectly.  But for a more practical serving size of 2 – 4 people I use my smaller crock pot (3.5 qts.).  The small crock pot is just the right size for this meal.  Keep in mind your crock pot should be proportionate to the amount of food you’re cooking.  The general rule of thumb is that the contents inside should not be less than half or more than two-thirds full.  For additional crock pot tips, visit this site.  You might be surprised to find that you’re overcooking meals without even knowing it!

When buying ingredients for this recipe, make sure to buy the ham at your grocers deli counter.  The ham that is used in this recipe is not thinly sliced, pre-packaged deli ham.  It’s ham off the bone.  Simply request ham off the bone and ask to have it sliced thicker (approximately 1/8 inch).  Order slightly more than a half pound and you’ll have just the right amount for this recipe (2 cups).  Also, while you’re at the store, I recommend buying fresh parsley vs. dried parsley.  Yes, it will take a little extra time to chop, but the flavor will be so rewarding.

After experiencing this soup first hand, at my friend’s house, I had to re-create it at home.  What a wonderful recipe and it’s so healthy too.  I had a feeling my husband would love this dish.  Like me, he too, had never tried split pea soup.  He loved it and mentioned multiple times while we were eating how much he enjoyed it.  If you’re looking for a side to serve with this soup, try cornbread.  We like to crumble it and sprinkle it on top of our soup.  Yum!

Split Pea Soup is very hard to photograph!  Just trust me that it tastes good!

Split Pea Soup

Adapted from Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup Recipe by DianaRattray

Servings: 8

Prep Time: 15 mins.

Total Time: 4-5 hours (high heat) or 8 -10 hours (low heat)

Ingredients:

• 1 (16 oz.) pkg. dried green split peas, rinsed
• 2 cups ham off the bone, diced
• 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 cup onion, chopped
• 2 celery stalks (plus leaves), chopped
• 1 or 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped or 2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
• 1 tbsp. seasoned salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 6 cups hot water

Directions:

1. In a crock pot layer the ingredients in the order given; pour in water.

2. Do not stir ingredients. Cover and cook on high 4 to 5 hours or on low 8 to 10 hours.

3. Remove the bay leaf. Mash peas to thicken more, if desired.  Serve immediately.