Rick's Yummy Split Pea Soup with Ham

Enjoy this veggie- and ham-packed split pea soup with a slice of crusty bread on a cold night.

• Preparation Time: 30 mins
• Cooking Time: 2 hr 15 mins
• Total Time: 2 hr 45 mins
• Calories: 562 Calories

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup finely chopped celery
• 1 bay leaf, or more to taste
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic, or to taste
• 1 (14 ounce) bag green split peas, rinsed
• 7 cups chicken broth, or more as needed, divided
• 2 pounds smoked pork neck bones (such as Smithfield®)
• 10 ounces cubed smoked ham (such as Carolina Pride®)
• 0.5 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 0.25 teaspoon ground thyme
• 1.5 cups finely chopped carrots
• 1.5 cups finely chopped onion

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Place the split peas into a large container and cover with several inches of cool water; let stand for at least 3 hours. Rinse peas until the water runs clear; drain.

Step 2

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute onion, carrots, and celery in hot oil until soft, 8 to 12 minutes. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Step 3

Combine peas, onion mixture, 6 cups chicken broth, bay leaf, black pepper, and thyme together in a large pot. Stir neck bones into chicken broth mixture, adding more chicken broth as necessary to cover bones completely. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, cover the pot, and simmer until peas have dissolved and meat is falling from the bones, 2 to 3 hours. Transfer bones to a plate to cool.

Step 4

Stir cubed ham into soup. When neck bones are cool enough to handle, remove remaining meat from the bones; discard bones and stir meat into soup. Continue to simmer until ham and meat are heated through, about 5 minutes.