Slow Cooker Split Pea and Ham Soup

by Nancy

You won’t believe how easy it is to have seconds when eating this hearty split pea and ham soup with smoked gouda cheese.

If I had to rate my favorite kitchen items, my slow cooker would be at the top of the list.

It’s not that I use it more than other things in my kitchen, it’s because a slow cooker allows me to make dinner when it’s most convenient for me.

I can make dinner in the morning or early afternoon by just putting the ingredients in the pot, setting the cook time, and dinner is all but done.

My inspiration for making this split pea soup is not only because it tastes really good, but also because I was a bit overzealous when buying a ham that was on sale.

Let’s just say that I have an excessive overstock of ham leftovers in my freezer, and it’s time to move out that inventory…right into the crock pot.

About Split Peas

Split peas are just regular field peas that have been dried and split in half.

They’re either green or yellow, and both colors generally have a similar taste.

And although split peas may look like lentils, they’re actually not lentils.

Both split peas and lentils are members of the legume family, but each one is of a different variety.

Split peas are great to have in the pantry because if stored properly, they have a fairly long shelf life.

They’re also relatively inexpensive and come in handy when making an easy meal with just pantry ingredients.

About this Recipe

This delicious split pea soup is made with a couple twists.

One is that juice from a whole lemon is added which slightly offsets the sweetness of the peas.

And the other is that when the hot soup is served, it’s topped with finely shredded smoked gouda cheese, and small pieces of crispy ham.

The soup and the toppings taste wonderful together.

Sometimes I like split pea soup more on the thin side and sometimes more on the thick side.

This recipe is in between the two, not too thin and not too thick.

But you may have to adjust the thickness to your liking.

Leftovers store nicely in the refrigerator, but you’ll notice that the soup will thicken up a lot after it’s chilled.

About Serving

So, when reheating the soup, you may need to add a bit of water.

Let’s check out the ingredients.

Soup – dried green split peas, cooked ham, carrots, onion, celery, garlic, chicken broth, fresh lemon juice, bay leaves, dried thyme, salt, pepper, parsley and water

Toppings – small pieces of chopped cooked ham, olive oil and finely shredded smoked gouda cheese

Equipment – 5-quart slow cooker (crockpot) or larger

HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE

A printable recipe with the measurements and instructions is located at the bottom of this post.

For the Soup:

In a slow cooker pot, add the dried green split peas, pieces of cooked ham, carrots, onion, celery, garlic, bay leaves, dried thyme, salt and pepper.

Next, add juice from one lemon, and…

…chicken broth.

Then,

stir together…

…add water,

and stir.

Cover with a lid and cook on the low setting for 6 hours.

For the Crispy Ham Topping:

While the soup is cooking, the crispy ham topping can be made…

…heat a small skillet on medium heat and add olive oil.

To the pan, add small pieces of chopped ham and stir.

Sauté until the edges of the ham start to crisp. Remove from the heat and transfer to a storage container.

Store in the refrigerator until the soup is ready to serve, then slightly warm up the crispy ham in the microwave, just enough to take the chill off (about 5 seconds).

Serving:

Right after the soup is done cooking,

remove and discard the bay leaves, stir and…

add chopped parsley.

Stir together and…

…serve warm.

Top with finely shredded smoked gouda cheese…

…small crispy pieces of ham, and garnish with parsley.

Then,

stir in the toppings if you like…

…and serve.

Thank you so much for stopping by CCC!

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