Split Pea Soup With Ham

Time: 1 hour 10 minutes (25 minutes active)
Yield: 8 to 10 cups, 5 Servings

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more as needed
• 8 to 16 ounces ham, preferably smoked, diced into 1/4-inch cubes
• 1 large yellow onion (12 ounces), diced
• 1 large carrot (5 ounces), diced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced or finely grated
• Fine salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 10 cups low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth, plus more as needed
• 1 pound split green peas
• 3 bay leaves
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 2 lemons)

Directions

1. In a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat,
2. heat the oil until it shimmers.
3. Carefully add the ham and cook,
4. stirring occasionally, until browned (about 4 minutes).
5. Transfer the ham to a bowl using a slotted spoon.
6. Add the onion, carrot, and garlic to the pot with a big pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper.
7. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables soften (about 5 minutes).
8. If the pot seems dry, add a splash of water or more oil.
9. Stir in about 1 cup of broth, scraping up any browned bits.
10. Increase heat to high,
11. add remaining broth, split peas, bay leaves, and another pinch of salt.
12. Bring to a boil,
13. reduce heat to maintain a simmer.
14. Partially cover
15. cook, stirring occasionally, until peas are very soft (40-45 minutes).
16. Remove from heat
17. discard bay leaves.
18. Stir in reserved ham.
19. Use an immersion blender to puree partially or completely.
20. Return pot to low heat to warm soup.
21. If too thick, stir in more broth.
22. Adjust seasoning as needed.
23. stir in lemon juice
24. serve

Substitutions

• Instead of split peas: Use split yellow or red lentils (cooking time may vary).
• No ham? Skip it and add smoked paprika to onions.
• Dislike bay leaves? Substitute with thyme or dill.
• Alternatively, blend in batches in a blender (carefully, not overfilling and holding a kitchen towel over the lid).

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