Please Say Hello to The Best Split Pea Soup Recipe, Ever.
Warming and hearty, this split pea soup recipe is a real winter keeper. It takes the chill off even the coldest of days, in the rib-sticking way that only a soup that’s this thick, that’s this loaded with bacon and ham possibly could. It makes wonderful leftovers—the flavors of the ham get better and more pervasive after a day or two—and it freezes well, too.
Is Split Pea Soup Healthy?
While it’s maybe not totally accurate to call something that includes both ham and bacon flat-out “healthy”, in terms of general nutrition, split pea soup has a lot to offer! Split peas have been in use for millenia. They appear in the ancient cuisines of Egypt, Greece, China and Rome. It’s easy to understand why they’ve been beloved by humans for so long—they’re small, the last forever, and they’re quite nutrient-dense. They are loaded with fiber and protein, so although this is not a vegetarian soup, it’s not incredibly meat-heavy and it’s nonetheless a terrific source of protein. Split peas are a good source of B vitamins, and iron, too.
The Ultimate Question: Split Pea Soup With Ham or Split Pea Soup With Bacon?
Now, some people are die-hard old-schoolers on this and will only make green split pea soup with a ham hock. Others are devoted bacon lovers and want their pea soup loaded with smoky bacon. We say why choose?! Instead of a ham hock, though, we’ve simplified things a bit and used regular old deli ham, sliced thickly. So, this split pea soup with ham and bacon gets plenty of porky smoke from both:
Applewood smoked bacon.
Thick-cut smoked ham slices. These can be cut from the bone if you have a leftover ham, or purchased from the deli counter. Just be sure to ask the person behind the counter to slice the ham 1/4-inch thick.
Seasonings for Split Pea Soup
Somewhere along the way, someone decided that split pea soup goes from good to fantastic if you season it with smoky things (like the aforementioned ham hock) and who are we to mess with perfection? The bacon and ham will add a lot of salty goodness and smoky flavor to the pea soup, but we up the ante even more with additional spices and seasonings. In addition to the usual suspects like salt and pepper, our pea soup recipe gets flavor in spades from:
Mirepoix! AKA carrots, celery and onion, sautéed in bacon fat (yep, why waste that liquid gold when you could cook with it instead?). The classic flavor-giving base of every great soup, including this one.
Thyme. Fresh or dried is just fine. This earthy herb is a really classic pair for split pea soup, and you’ll taste why.
Smoked paprika. Sometimes called pimentón or smoked Spanish paprika, we’re so into this brick red, deeply flavorful spice. It adds so much to a dish, and here, it really amplifies the smoky flavors of the ham and bacon.
Parmesan cheese. This is completely optional, but we’re very much of the opinion that a dusting of fresh Parmesan is the perfect compliment to any and all things, including this split pea soup.
How Do You Make Split Pea Soup From Scratch?
Crisp the bacon in the pot you’ll make the soup in. When the bacon is cooked, take it out, but leave some of the fat that rendered out.
Cook the onion, celery and carrots in the bacon drippings and, after a few minutes, add the garlic.
Pour in the stock, split peas, thyme and smoked paprika and bring it to a boil.
Simmer for about 45 minutes, or until the peas are very, very soft and have almost melted into a singular sort of mush—the best kind of soupy mush.
If you’d like, you can use an immersion blender to blend about 1/3 of the soup and make it extra, extra smooth, but it’s also delicious as-is.
Stir the ham and bacon to the finished split pea soup. Season to taste and dig in!
A Split Pea Soup to Warm You Up Through and Through
Did anyone else read Owl at Home as a kid? Where poor old Owl invites winter to come in for a visit and a blizzard takes over his living room, rendering his warm bowl of split pea soup frozen solid? It’s pretty heartbreaking. But this soup will break no hearts—instead, it’ll warm winter-chilled bodies from the inside out! If you make it, let us know how you like it! Share a photo and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper so that we can see your stuff! Happy eating!
