Here is an easy recipe for split pea soup with ham that is so easy to make. Cheap slow cook dinner when it’s cold outside and year-round. Perfect recipe for leftover ham also after the holidays.
Pea soup broken into slow pot with ham
Honestly, I had never used dried beans at all, so this was really a new experience. I thought it would take a lot of work and time to start from scratch this way. I couldn’t believe how well it turned out. After this I made all kinds of other creations with dried beans.
If you have a pressure cooker and want to do this FAST, try our Instant Pot split pea soup. That takes about 17 minutes once you reach the pressure where this takes all day. The good thing about this one is that you can throw it all away first thing in the morning and when you’re home you just lift the lid!
Let’s talk a little bit about slow cooking, okay? First of all, I have a few different varieties and I love them all. Each has an occasion to be used as…
- This is my programmable 6-quart favorite with a locking lid, so it’s also great to take
- If you just want to serve a few appetizers, you should get this one that sits next to each other
- I prefer not to use coatings, but simply to sprinkle olive oil inside before adding my food for easy cleanings.
to a meal.
.
Let me give you a look at my pretty thang I recently bought. It goes with my kitchen, so I can leave it on the countertop all the time. 😉
Thick split pea soup Slow cooker
The dried peas I found in a barrel at our local organic market. I had some vegetables in the produce section and that was literally all I needed. Most of the time I use leftover ham for something like this. Of course you could also make it vegetarian. I didn’t have a ham bone, so I diced the leftover ham, about 2.5 cups.
During the year you can find really cheap smoked ham hocks. They add a ton of flavor and throughout the day the meat outside will become very tender and just fall off. Then, simply take out the bones and discard them when you’re ready to eat. 😉
A third idea is that you can grab a little pig stem, those are great too. Lie in the background and the same thing will happen. The meat will simply peel after all the hours of soaking, and you won’t even need to add seasonings because the meat has enough.
Slow Cook Split Pea Soup
with Ham and Potatoes
This slow cooker split pea soup recipe is not only good and healthy, but also very cheap to make! Seriously, I only think I spent about $6, since I already had the meat.
Use any type of meat you want or can find in the meat department for next to nothing. Precooked and diced ham can be purchased near bacon, which is also a great option. You’ll want to brown that until just before it gets really crispy. Add some flavor at first with more as a topping.
Want to make it even stronger with a tweak? You can add a bag of frozen hashbrowns cut into cubes or cut some yourself. I would recommend red or reddish in small chunks like the size of breakfast potatoes.
If you like thick as you see in the picture at the top, simply add 6 cups of vegetable broth or water. However, if you want a more soupy consistency, add 7 cups of water, like the picture at the bottom. Whichever way you do it, this is a hearty soup that everyone loves.
Is it necessary to soak split peas?
No. I use them directly from the bag for our slow cooker and Instant Pot split pea recipe. Under high or low pressure all day, they soften very well and create a smooth soup that everyone loves.
If you have a pressure cooker, we just added the Instant Pot split pea soup recipe to our Instant Pot recipes tab for you to use as well.
Clay pot Split pea
soup
- Split dried peas Vegetable
- – you can use water, but the broth is much better
- Carrots and celery
- Onion
- Leftover ham is great to add or a ham hock
- Salt and pepper
- taste
broth
salt to taste
to
I love buying half ham all year round because we can get at least a week’s worth of meals like our baked potato soup loaded that we cooked this year, which makes it really cheap! I would use my 6K crockpot. With a locking cap, which is great, especially if you’re taking this to a meal.
Old Fashioned Split Pea Soup Slow Cooker
I have exact ingredients on the printable recipe card below, but here are quick step-by-step instructions: Slice carrots, celery, and onions. The larger the pieces, the firmer they will hold. If they are cut too thin, they will disintegrate.
- Pour your raw split peas, broth, vegetables into your Crockpot. Season with a little salt and pepper. Then add your ham hock to the center of the pot, or add the already diced pieces.
- Cover and simmer the soup for 8 hours of cooking until the peas are tender. I don’t recommend 4-6 hours high as low and slow is the way to go for perfect consistency.
- bone is used, remove the ham hock and use a knife to remove the meat from the outside. Cut into cubes and add to the soup, discard the bone.
- Use a bowl serving ladle. If you added bay leaves, remove and discard as well.
If a ham
If you have leftovers, save pretty well. Always make sure it cools completely to room temperature before transferring it to a container. It will keep well for 3-4 days in the refrigerator until you are ready to reheat it. Reheat the leftover soup in a microwave-safe container. It will have thickened so add a little broth.
Stir it until it dilutes a little and becomes the consistency you want. Heat for 45 seconds and then stir. Again add another 45 seconds or so and stir again. Do this until it is as hot as you want. It’s good to add some grated cheese and pieces of bacon to the top as well when enjoyed again.
Slow cooker of split pea soup
And we also have many others that you will love. Once the snow hits the ground around here, I like soup with rolls on the side for dinnertime. I always like to use leftover meat I have from the night before, so I go with that as far as I add.
The
- chicken soup at the Crockpot is always a win when you’re feeling bad or rainy outside
- Instant Pot barley soup is also wonderful with the
- The leftover ham bean soup goes without saying that it’s the perfect day after the Easter meal. Homemade food at its finest.
. The
leftover ham bone.
I
have a video showing how easy it is to make this split pea soup recipe (I used water in the video, but found the broth is much better). Use broth to dilute it once it’s done or when you reheat your leftovers the next day. Add all the fun ingredients you like when you serve it to your family.
