In effort to use up some of the things stored in my freezer and pantry, I took a quick survey of what I had available. I had a left over ham hock from making Collard Greens, a bag of chopped celery and bag of chopped carrots from when I made Garden Tomato Soup. And since a nice thick and chunky split pea soup is one of my most favorite things ever, it was an easy decision. ;)
Pictured with Homemade Croutons on top!
Making it from scratch was a cinch, especially since I already had the carrots and celery chopped, ready, and waiting in the freezer. So, all I had to buy to make this split pea soup was a bag of peas and a potato. Yeah, this week’s grocery receipt was SMALL.
Can I Substitute the Ham Hock?
Yes! The ham provides a nice salty/smoky flavor the soup, but there are other types of meat that can do the same job. Bacon is an easy choice. Just brown your bacon in the pot before beginning the soup, remove it from the pot, then add it back in after the soup is finished. Smoked turkey wings also work great and can be used in the exact same manner as the ham hock.
Can I Make This Soup Vegetarian?
Yes! This soup is easy to make vegetarian. Simply swap the chicken broth for vegetable broth, swap the olive oil for coconut oil to give the soup a little more body (optional), and add about a teaspoon of smoked paprika for a hint of smoky flavor.
Freeze Some for Later!
This soup is very freezer-friendly, so if you can’t eat all six servings with about 5 days, make sure to freeze a couple of the servings for later. I like to freeze my soups in single servings, so I can quickly and easily reheat one serving at a time when needed. My favorite containers for this are the reusable blue-top Ziploc containers (affiliate link).
Chunky Split Pea Soup
Servings 6Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.20)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.36)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.12)
- 3 ribs celery ($0.37)
- 3 carrots ($0.25)
- 1 smoked ham hock ($1.40)
- 1 lb. split peas (dry, uncooked) ($0.73)
- 6 cups chicken broth ($0.60)
- 1 whole bay leaf ($0.02)
- 1 potato ($0.65)
- salt and pepper to taste ($0.05)
Instructions
- Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Cook them in a large stock pot over medium heat with the olive oil until soft. Add the chopped carrots and celery and cook a few minutes more.
- Add the ham hock and peas to the pot. Add the chicken broth and bay leaf to the pot. Bring the mixture up to a simmer with a lid on then reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 1 hour.
- Dice the potato into small chunks, add to the pot and continue to simmer until the potato chunks are soft (about ten minutes). The peas should have completely disintegrated by this point as well. If they are still retaining their shape, continue to simmer until they are mush (see photo below).
- Remove the bay leaf and ham hock. Transfer 1/3 to 1/2 of the soup to a blender and puree until smooth. Return it to the pot and mix it in with the rest of the soup. Remove the meat from the ham hock, cut it into small pieces and return it to the pot. Taste the soup and adjust salt and pepper to taste!
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Try these other variations on split pea soup:
How to Make Split Pea Soup with Ham – Step By Step Photos
I had all these frozen goodies waiting to be used in the freezer. Always label and date stuff before stashing it in the freezer. Try to use frozen food within 3 months.
Cook the chopped onion and minced garlic in olive oil until soft.
Add the carrots and celery and cook them until they have softened (or thawed out!).
Add the smoked ham hock…
and the split peas…
Add 6 cups chicken broth to the pot.
I use Better than Bouillon to make my broth because it’s usually a little more economical than buying cans or boxes of broth, I can make any amount that I need, and it has good flavor.
Oh yeah, add the bay leaf too. Let the soup simmer over low heat with a lid on for an hour (make sure it’s simmering).
Dice the potato into fairly small pieces, add to the pot and simmer until they are soft. I used a red potato because that is what looked fresh at the store. Use any kind you’d like.
At this point, the peas should have been reduced to mush like in the picture. If they still have shape, continue to simmer the soup. Once they are all mushy, remove the bay leaf and ham hock. Place 1/3 to 1/2 of the soup in a blender and puree until thick. Return it to the pot and stir it all up. BE VERY CAREFUL WITH HOT LIQUIDS IN THE BLENDER
When the ham hock is cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bone and cut it into small pieces. Return the meat to the soup and DIG IN!!
NOTE:If you’re not crazy about the idea of a ham hock you should get over it. No, just kidding. Well, you should because they’re delicious but if you can’t get over it you can use bacon or salt pork in it’s place. Just cook the bacon (or salt pork) down in a pot before you do anything. Drain off most of the fat if desired but leave enough to cook the onions and garlic in. Proceed with the recipe as usual then add the cooked bacon at the end! Easy and no pig knuckles involved. HA!
I’ve made at least a dozen of your recipes and this one is another winner! I skipped the celery and bay leaf since I didn’t have any, subbed the hock for leftover thanksgiving ham, and added some mustard and red pepper flakes to add more kick. Served with sesame sticks as croutons. Great comfort food for a Sunday in February!
I have never been a big fan of split pea soup until I started using half yellow split peas and half green split peas. The mix makes a great soup!
I can’t wait to try this! I never thought about using yellow split peas or ever heard of them.
Hello my friend — like everyone else in all the land, we’re “staying home and staying safe” up here in the Mitten. So doing an inventory of what we still have after 4 weeks of not shopping….I’ve got just about everything in the house for split pea soup…except no dried peas. Lots of frozen peas for some reason though. So have you any tips for this gal for whom cooking brings NO joy (but a nice hot bowl of soup sounds just dandy?!) Your thoughts (and recipes!) are appreciated!! — Peace, D #BeWellStayWell
Do you make this with your ham hock still frozen? If so, do you know if I could make this with a ham bone, frozen, unthawed?
I’d recommend thawing it at least some before cooking. If you cook with it frozen it will take longer to cook and you may not get all the flavor and meat from it.
This is a classic very delicious split pea soup. This is the first time I’ve ever used ham hocks. I didn’t get any meat out of them but the flavor they created was so so so good. And honestly I don’t actually like eating ham so this actually worked really well for me! I know weird. Still another winner from Beth and budget bytes. Haven’t disliked anything I’ve ever tried from her!
Thanks for sharing Nicole!
Wow, I’m blown away by this recipe. I’m surprised there aren’t more reviews! The peas and potatoes are creamy, the carrots are bright and sweet, and the celery and onions add an extra dimension of flavor. The smoked ham lends an extra savory richness to this soup: I highly recommend you go the extra mile to find one if you can.
What can you substitute for the hamhock if you don’t want to eat pork?
Sometimes I add smoked paprika to mimmic the smoky flavor, and then also add a little coconut oil to give the effect of the saturated fat given off by the ham.
Will this still turn out ok without the potato?
Yes, it should still be delicious. :)
I love this recipe! I’ve made it multiple times now and it is amazing every time. Thank you for sharing this yummy, yet budget friendly, recipe!
Made this for dinner today and it was unbelievably good. Both my husband and I burned our tongues while chowing down. Plus, it was super easy and super filling.
This was AMAZING!!!! Thanks for the recipe! I added bacon instead of a hamhock because it was easier to find at the store! This soup was so rich and creamy! It was my first time making split-pea soup and definitely not my last!!