While split pea soup is undoubtedly un-pretty, it has been one of the most-made meals in my winter kitchen.
Without realizing it, so much of the last few years has been about finding tiny moments of comfort, wherever they might be found.
Which is the flip side of the anxiety coin that has been grocery shopping and budgeting for so many, including myself.
Simple, forgiving and inexpensive meals like this have given me strength, literally and figuratively. I’ve never been so grateful to know my way around the kitchen as I am now.
I’ve written this split pea soup recipe up in the more typical manner, using smoked pork hocks. But it has often been made with leftover chicken or in a vegetarian incarnation, too. I find that a slightly heavier hand with smoked paprika and dried thyme helps bring in that earthy smokiness without the traditional cured pork if that’s the route you want to take.
When it comes to texture, everyone seems to like split pea soup on the creamy side, with varying degrees of doneness on the actual peas themselves. If you like a softer split pea, you can let the soup simmer a good hour or more. For a split pea that doesn’t, well, split and burst in the broth, you’ll want to keep the cook time closer to the forty five minute mark.
If you’re like me, you can cheat and keep some of the just-cooked-through peas from the pot, cook the brothy remainder for longer until super creamy, then add the reserved split peas back at the end before serving for some extra body. Make this pot your own, but I really do recommend that bright little splash of white wine vinegar at the end.
PrintComforting Split Pea Soup
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4 - 6 1x
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp / 30 ml olive oil
- 1 medium large onion, diced, about 12 oz
- 3 medium carrots, diced, about 1 lb
- 2 ribs of celery, diced, about 6 oz
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 – 2 smoked pork hocks, to taste
- 1 lb / 454 g green split peas, rinsed and picked over
- 8 cups / 64 oz unsalted or lower sodium chicken or vegetable broth, see notes
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp kosher salt, see notes
- 1 – 2 tsp / 5 – 10 ml white wine vinegar
Instructions
SOFTEN: Coat the bottom of a 4.5 quart dutch oven over medium low heat with the olive oil, then stir through the diced onion, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring here and there, until the vegetables begin to soften and the onion becomes translucent and shiny, a good 15 minutes. Stir in the minced garlic and cook until fragrant, another minute or so.
SIMMER: Nestle the pork hock(s) into the vegetables in the center of the dutch oven. Add the rinsed & picked split peas around the pork, then pour in the broth, which should just about cover the pork nicely. Increase the heat and cover the pan so that the broth comes to a near boil, then reduce the heat to a light, even simmer. Season with the black pepper & paprika, give the vegetables a stir, then re-cover the pot and let cook until the split peas are soft with a hint of bite left and the broth has become nice and creamy, about 45 minutes.
SHRED: Use tongs to remove the pork hock to a plate and allow to cool enough to handle. Taste the soup and see if it needs any additional salt, see notes. Break off the smoked pork from the hocks into bite size pieces and add back to the soup. Stir in the white wine vinegar. Remove and discard the bay leaves, warm through the pork and serve immediately. If however, you like a softer texture, more akin to a pureed soup, increase the cook time by a further 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
Using a lower sodium or unsalted broth allows you to better control the salt levels in this dish, since smoked ham hocks can vary greatly in their flavor and salinity. Let the soup simmer for at least 30 minutes before tasting and adding any additional salt, so that the ham hocks have time to release their retained salt.
When it comes to texture, everyone seems to like split pea soup on the creamy side, with varying degrees of doneness on the actual peas themselves. If you like a softer split pea, you can let the soup simmer a good hour or more. For a split pea that doesn’t, well, split and burst in the broth, you’ll want to keep the cook time closer to the forty five minute mark.
If you’re like me, you can cheat and keep some of the just-cooked-through peas from the pot, cook the brothy remainder for longer until super creamy, then add the reserved split peas back at the end before serving for some extra body. Make this pot your own, but I really do recommend that bright little splash of white wine vinegar at the end.
