When I was a kid, split pea soup was my absolute most dreaded dinner. (Maybe not the best way to convince you to make it?) I haven’t done a poll, but I imagine that at least a decent handful of Scandinavian-descended American kids would agree with me. My parents positively insisted that I’d like it when I grew up. I think I count as a grown-up now, so I figured I’d better test that theory at last, not having eaten split pea soup since I lived at home.
As in many things, Mom and Dad were right. Split pea is a delicious soup. Only one out of my four kids ate it, so I guess the cycle continues! If you also have abstained from this dish for a while, use this classic split pea soup recipe to dip your toes back in.
A few tips for the best split pea soup:
-A good savory ham really helps level up this soup. I used a delicious smoked ham hock we had on hand from a local famer, and it added so much flavor. Of course, you do not absolutely need a fancy ham for this. A leftover meaty ham bone or the remains of your holiday ham are perfect to pop into your soup pot the next day!
-In the same vein, good mustard, bread and butter on the side of this soup elevate the experience quite a bit. Crusty French bread, fresh sourdough, or –better yet– this Sourdough Rye are perfect accompaniments to this comforting soup, especially when thoroughly smeared with Kerrygold.
-To make this meal even more traditional, serve Pannukakku or lettu (thin Finnish pancakes) for dessert, and serve it on a Thursday! This tradition dates back hundreds of years, to before the Protestant Reformation, when fasting on Friday was typical. A heavy meal Thursday evening helped prepare one for a lighter day of eating on Friday!
Tools & Equipment for Split Pea Soup
- Large bowl to soak the peas
- Stock pot/large soup pot
- Liquid measuring cup
- Ladle
Ingredients for this Split Pea Soup Recipe with Ham
- Green split peas
- Ham: you can use a leftover ham bone or a ham with or without a bone. Around 1-2 pounds is a good size for this recipe.
- Salt & white or black pepper
- Yellow onion, diced
- Water or broth (chicken broth or vegetable broth will work in this recipe).
This split pea soup recipe with ham is made in the Finnish style, which is very simple. The other Nordic countries have their own versions of this recipe, most of which include more additions, like herbs & spices and root vegetables. I’ll include some of these below for you to include if you wish.
The Process: How To Make This Split Pea Soup Recipe with Ham
Place your split peas in a large pot or bowl to soak- they’ll swell, so use plenty of water. You can soak them overnight before making this recipe or day of (I’ve had good results with soaking them for about 7 hours the day I made the soup).
Drain the peas and put them in your soup pot. Add 6 cups water (or broth if you’d prefer). Add the onion, ham and a pinch each of salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil. In the first ten minutes or so of cooking time, skim the foam off the top (gently, or you’ll skim out a bunch of onion too. Ask me how I know). Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Continue to simmer until your meat is fully cooked and green peas are very soft and creamy, about 75-90 minutes. If you have a small ham shank that cooks much more quickly than the peas, you can choose to remove it when it is fully cooked and cover it with foil to keep warm while the peas finish cooking.
You can either cut up your ham and return it to the soup or slice it and serve it on the side. Taste your soup and add salt and pepper to taste before serving.
I highly recommend serving this soup with your favorite mustard on the side, and some really good crusty bread!
Alternatives
Instead of ham, you can make this soup with another cut of salt pork, or even with lamb or mutton.
Many of the Nordic countries use yellow split peas instead of green split peas in this soup- I do find green split peas easier to find in stores around me, though.
Norwegian and Danish split pea soup includes a lot of root vegetables, such as potatoes, carrots, celeriac (celery root), rutabagas, and parsnips. If you’d like to include these, add them about halfway through your simmering time so that they have plenty of time to simmer until tender (but not mushy).
You can also add aromatics like bay leaves or a few thyme sprigs to your homemade split pea soup. Add these with the meat.
For a vegetarian split pea soup, you can of course omit meat entirely (and use water or vegetable broth, not chicken stock). Split peas contain enough protein and fiber that this will still make for a pretty hearty soup without the ham.
Split Pea Soup with Ham (Hernekeitto)
Ingredients
- 1 lb green split peas
- 1 medium diced yellow onion
- 1 Ham 1-2 lb ham works well
- 6 cups water or substitute broth of choice
- Salt and pepper to taste white or black pepper
Instructions
- Place your split peas in a large pot or bowl to soak- they'll swell, so use plenty of water. You can soak them overnight before making this recipe or day of (I've had good results with soaking them for about 7 hours the day I made the soup).
- Drain the peas and put them in your soup pot. Add 6 cups water (or broth if you'd prefer). Add the onion, ham and a pinch each of salt and pepper.
- Bring to a boil. In the first ten minutes or so of cooking time, skim the foam off the top.
- Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer.
- Continue to simmer until your meat is fully cooked and green peas are very soft and creamy, about 75-90 minutes. If you have a small ham shank that cooks much more quickly than the peas, you can choose to remove it when it is fully cooked and cover it with foil to keep warm while the peas finish cooking.
- You can either cut up your ham and return it to the soup or slice it and serve it on the side. Taste your soup and add salt and pepper to taste before serving.
- I highly recommend serving this soup with your favorite mustard on the side, and some really good crusty bread!
Notes
Nutrition
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Did you make this recipe? Let me know how it went in the comments! If you share on Instagram, please tag me at @sisuhomemaker. And I always love to hear from you- send questions, comments, concerns, etc to carol@sisuhomemaker.com!
I’m Finnish and I do like split pea soup. I’m adding also carrots but also few bay leaves, few whole allspice and mustard. serving with raw finely diced onions.