Wintertime French-Style Split Pea Soup

This hearty French-style dried split pea soup with potatoes, carrots, and ham doesn't need any soaking, so it's a great choice for a weeknight supper.

• Preparation Time: 25 mins
• Cooking Time: 1 hr 15 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 40 mins
• Calories: 386 Calories

Ingredients

• 3 cups water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 large bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon herbes de Provence
• 1 (32 fluid ounce) container vegetable stock
• 1 pound dried split peas, rinsed
• 2 pounds new potatoes, cut into bite-size chunks
• 1.5 teaspoons ground turmeric
• 0.75 pound carrots, cut into bite-size chunks
• 1.5 cups chopped lean cooked ham

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Heat olive oil in a heavy soup pot or Dutch oven. Add onion and garlic; sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in herbes de Provence, turmeric, bay leaves, and cayenne pepper; cook and stir until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.

Step 2

Add vegetable stock, water, split peas, 1/2 of the potatoes, and 1/2 of the carrots. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer until peas are nearly tender, about 35 minutes.

Step 3

Stir in remaining potatoes and carrots. Add ham, cover, and simmer until vegetables are tender, adding more stock or water as needed, about 25 more minutes.