This is a fabulous “throw it all in the slow cooker” Pea and Ham soup. There’s no need to cook the onion separately – it “sautés” itself in the fat from the ham hock that rises to the surface. Thick, hearty soup broth infused with incredible flavour from the ham bone!
A worthy ending for your leftover Christmas ham bone, or use store bought. Make this in your slow cooker or on the stove!
Pea and Ham Soup
I’ve always said that Lentil Soup is the least sexy looking soup in the world.
But in hindsight, I think Pea and Ham Soup should take that title.
I mean, think about it. A sparkling white Corn Chowder is pretty. A Thai Tom Yum Soup is colourful and vibrant. Creamy Carrot Soup is a cheerful bright orange colour. And a fiery red Laksa looks as bold as it tastes.
But Pea Soup? It’s brown more than green. Kahki at best.
So no, it’s not glamorous.
But this ugly duckling is seriously delicious. One bite, and you won’t be able to stop!!
What goes in Pea and Ham Soup
Here’s what you need for pea and ham soup. I’ve used a store bought ham hock here because I used up all the ham bones I managed to score from friends and even mere acquaintances. Yep, when it comes to rounding up ham bones, I’m shameless!!
Make sure you use a ham bone with plenty of meat because more meat means more flavour imparted into the soup – and more shredded ham!
Green split peas – these are just dried peas that are halved (split!) which means they cook faster and there’s no need to soak overnight (such as with most types of beans for things like Southern Baked Beans). They taste quite neutral, slightly earthy, and it absorbs the flavour of whatever they’re cooked in – in this case, ham! When cooked for a long time like we do here (in order for the ham meat to be ultra tender), they become creamy and thicken the soup;
WATER, no broth – the ham bone releases so much flavour that all we need is water for the soup broth. How good is that??!!
I love how economical pea soup is when made using leftover ham bone because the broth just needs water – no stock!
The Ham Hock – ham bone
If you’re wondering what a ham hock is, it’s a ham bone. And it is literally the bone inside a leg of ham, left after carving off all the ham (ie the cold cuts sold at delis). So it is already cooked – well, smoked.
If you buy one, you’ll find it looks a lot neater than a scrappy leftover leftover ham bone from a homemade Glazed Ham. The store bought ones are cut neatly then from the looks of it, they are re-smoked to seal the surface of the pink meat part.
Where to buy ham hocks
Store bought ham hock is sometimes sold over the counter and delis, otherwise it’s vac packed and sold with ham and similar items in the refrigerator section.
Make sure it’s meaty!
While store bought are intentionally nice and meaty (to flavour the soup and for plenty of shredded ham), leftover ham bones have been known to be picked clean by Ham Monsters. So if your ham bone isn’t meaty enough, just add a hunk of ham into the soup as well – just to ensure you get enough flavour into the broth.
Do the same if your store bought ham hock weighs less than 1 kg / 2lb. 🙂
Alternative: give the broth a flavour boost with a dash of stock/bouillon powder.
Just place everything into the slow cooker then turn it on
No need to sauté onion separately beforehand. In this recipe, the onion will rise to the surface and “sauté” in the ham fat. I’ve tried it sautéing onion first, then using my method and there is no difference in flavour.
The peas will be so soft they become creamy. So blitzing is optional. What I like to do is partially puree the soup using a handheld blender stick. This way you get the best of both worlds – a smooth, creamy soup broth with soft bits of pea and veg bits!
How long to cook Pea and Ham Soup
Make sure you slow cook Pea and Ham Soup in the slow cooker for at least 8 hours, but 10 hours is even better (on low). The ham meat should literally fall off the bone and be shredded with a touch.
Easily shreddable ham is an indicator that it’s been cooked long enough to release a ton of flavour into the broth!
Are split peas good for you?
They are! They’re high in fibre and protein, can help reduce cholesterol and are low in fat. But split peas are a higher carbohydrate vegetable so watch your intake if you’re on a low carb diet.
What to serve with Pea and Ham Soup
A hunk of warm crusty bread (preferably slathered in butter) is literally made for dunking into this thick soup.
In fact, forget spoons. Imagine eating the whole thing using bread as your feeding tool of choice?? 🙌🏻 For homemade, try this quick no yeast Irish Soda Bread or yeast free Sandwich bread. If you’ve got the time, make this crusty Artisan Bread – pretty sure it’s now officially the world’s easiest yeast bread! (It’s no knead, very foolproof).
OR – if you want to go all out, upgrade to Garlic Bread or CHEESY Garlic Bread!
Things to dunk into soup
If you’d like to add a side salad, try it with a Cucumber Salad for lovely contrasting crisp freshness, or for something different (and totally fabulous), a French Carrot Salad with Honey Dijon Dressing! – Nagi x
PS Some recipes dress up Pea and Ham soup by adding spinach or frozen peas at the end to make the soup colour greener. I choose to celebrate the unattractiveness and focus on flavour, flavour, flavour!
Watch how to make it
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Pea and Ham Soup (slow cooker or stove)
Ingredients
- 500g / 1lb dried split peas (Note 1)
- 1.2-1.5kg / 2.4-3lb ham hock (aka ham bone), bacon hock or MEATY leftover ham bone (Note 2)
- 1/4 tsp salt (start with less, adjust later)
- 3/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 2 bay leaves , dried or fresh
- 1 onion , finely chopped
- 1 carrot , peeled and finely chopped
- 2 celery sticks , finely chopped
- 8 cups (2 litres/qts) water
Garnishes / serving:
- Parsley , finely chopped
- Crusty bread for dunking!
Instructions
- Place peas in slow cooker, push ham in. Scatter all ingredients around the ham bone, then pour over water.
- Slow cook 8 to 10 hours on LOW or 6 hours on HIGH. (Or 2.5 hours on low on stove, 1 h – 1 hr 20 min pressure cooker/Instant Pot on HIGH)
- Remove ham bone, shred ham meat. Discard bone and fatty skin.
- Remove bay leaves. Use a stick blender to blitz 2 or 3 times – thickens soup but doesn’t make it completely smooth (my preference, you can blend completely if you want).
- Return ham into slow cooker, stir. Taste and add more salt if needed (soup gets lots of salt from ham).
- Serve garnished with parsley. Serve with crusty bread for dunking – make a quick Irish Soda Bread, Garlic Bread or upgrade to Cheesy Garlic Bread!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
More ways with leftover Ham Bone!
Here are other recipes I’ve shared made using ham hocks. They make an amazing way to flavour broth!
And more chunky, hearty soups
Life of Dozer
This is what he does on cleaning days – he gets sick of trailing me up and down the stairs as I whizz back and forth between floors with brooms and mops and vacuum cleaners so he eventually just plonks himself down halfway on the landing.
Don’t you love how relaxed he looks while I’m hot, sweaty and exhausted from manic cleaning??🙄
Oh my… I used a ham bone and two small smoked pork hocks. This soup rocks!!! So delicious! Thanks Nagi
Yet another easy, reliable, tasty recipe. Did it in the slow cooker; no effort at all! Thanks again, Nagi.
It is delicious but thin even after blitzing a bit, help!
It’s Winter here in the US, and I seriously make this as frequently as my family will tolerate. It’s delicious, it’s simple, it is IDIOT-PROOF, and it’s wonderful on a cold day with Nagi’s crusty bread. I always make it with leftover spiral ham or with a ham hock (and extra veggies bc it tastes better than salad), but next time I’m going to try it with a could of smoked turkey legs. My mother doesn’t eat pork, and I’d like to give her some.
Cooked this but used pressure cooker. Very tasty and way less time. Ty.
Another awesome recipe Nagi, such a great soup for a cold winters day/night 👌🏻
Hi Nagi, just wondering a few things. Are there any extra veggies that go well in this soup? Also, I am unable to get ham on the bone. I can get a chunk of gammon. What weight of Gammon should I be aiming for? Thanks for any help!
Split peas kill me IBS wise, but pea and ham soup is always worth it!
Absolutely scrumptious, packed with flavour, not too thin, not too thick, perfect balance in texture.
I did add 1kg of bacon bones with my hock.
I didn’t bother to blitz it or blend it as by the time I picked out the bones, skin and fat, it had cooled; so I shredded the ham hock meat into small strips and mixed it through the soup.
YUMMO delicio 😊
My parents were going out of town for 2 weeks so they handed me a bag full of perishable groceries including a smoked HAM HOCK. So, I looked at NAGI’s recipetineats for recipe ideas.
I made the split pea soup and turned out very yummy .. and just as your recipe says. Will eat it tomorrow with a baguette. We tested the soup today and was difficult to stop “testing” it 🙂
Hugs to Dozer
Hi Nagi,
I just made this soup as described in the slow cooker for 10 hours. The ham fell off the bone but the peas were not soft. I cant understand why? I did have the split peas (from a packet) in my cupboard a long time. Could it just be dodgy peas??! I would appreciate any feedback.
Soak you peas the day before and they should soften nicely
Very quick to prepare and delicious. I don’t use any salt and pepper as the flavour and saltiness from the ham hock is perfect. Goes well with a Garlic & Olive Oil Sourdough from Woolworths. Thank you for the recipe.
Pea and ham soup is my favourite memory of my dear Nanna. I’ve never been able to replicate it until now! Thank you Nagi.
*Hers was always thinner than traditional, so I just used a little less split peas – perfection!
This came out beautifully. I made it in the instapot (1hr and 20 minutes). But it was just a little too peppery. I plan to move it to 1/4 tsp next time.
I’ve always made my mum’s family recipe for Pea and Ham soup and although your ingredients are similar this method was so easy. Slow cooked overnight and it is delicious.
Absolutely delicious! If my hubby eats everything clean I know its good. And so easy. Thank you
This was one of the best, tastiest AND easiest recipes ever. I don’t cook too much. Gave some to my partner who might generally say…..you didn’t do this. 🙂😂😂 BUT, he said he knows I made it because he couldn’t get it better anywhere else. 😀 too true to. Thanks.
Hi. I made this for the family on the weekend. It was a smash hit! Absolutely delicious. Thick and bursting with flavor. I made it in the slow cooker. Didn’t have to blend it as the peas and veggies were so lovely and soft. Will definitely be cooking this again. Thanks
I have a couple questions. Last time I made pea and ham soup I found the hock very fatty (unfortunately I couldn’t see that – the rind covered a lot of it) the end result was I had to remove a lot of fat from the cooked hock and then used bread to soak up the fat floating on the top. Could I have removed the rind and then fat or would I have lost flavour?
Also I saw recipe for a ‘quick’ pea and ham soup. It suggested using a piece of ham and there were some sautéing of vegetables and boiling then adding frozen peas and blending it all. I couldn’t imagine this tasting like pea and ham soup! As you’ve mentioned in notes split peas in the soup don’t taste like peas. I’m just wondering what your thoughts were on using frozen peas?
I boil the ham bone for a few hours first and take it out and take the skin and just keep the meat and put it in the fridge.
I leave the soup stock overnight to cook and then scoop all the fat off the top and discard
Then I reheat and add all the other ingredients to slow cook
I don’t like all the fat in soup either
Sorry, I forgot to say how much I am enjoying your recipes. Thank you. (say hello to Dozer and give him a pat and a hug from me)
I would like to thank you Nagi for ALL your recipes.I have tried a lot and they are all fantastic and repeated often in our house.You are our go to for all our cooking adventures
Thanks again