Split pea soup has been around for centuries, and for good reason. It’s hearty, fulfilling, nutritious, and has a unique comforting quality that plain old peas just can’t match. This particular recipe is a British and American version, using ham. It’s thick, flavorful, and created by one the milling pioneers in the U.S., Bob of Bob’s Red Mill. His “stick-to-you-ribs” soup makes great use of that leftover bone-in ham after the holidays, or you can simply use cubed ham if you don’t have a whole ham bone. Either way, it’s bound to become a family favorite.
Special Diet Notes: Bob’s Split Pea Soup
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, grain-free, nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free, top allergen-free, and oil-free.
- 1 pound (about 2¼ cups) split peas
- 2 quarts (8 cups) water
- 1 meaty ham bone
- 1½ cups chopped onion
- 1 teaspoon sea salt, plus additional to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper, plus additional to taste
- ¼ teaspoon dried marjoram
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup diced celery or peeled potato
- 1 cup diced carrots
- Sort and rinse split peas.
- Place the split peas in a large pot and cover with the water. Add the ham bone, onion, salt, pepper, marjoram, and bay leaf.
- Bring the soup to a boil, cover, reduce the heat, and simmer very gently for 1½ hours.
- Remove the ham bone, cut the meat off, and dice the meat.
- Return the ham to the soup, add the celery or potato and carrots.
- Continue to cook the soup for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft.
- Remove and discard the bay leaf. Season with additional salt and pepper as needed.