Split Pea Soup

When I was a kid, I was a bit skeptical about this one. The name is enough to make any seven-year-old giggle and the color can be … interesting. But when I grew up, I realized this soup is really just a more refined lentil soup that’s been Dr. Seuss-ified with the green split peas, and it has quickly become one of my favorites!
Photos by Aleksey Zozulya

Cuisine

Modern

Course

Soup

Difficulty

Easy

Duration

1-2 hours

Diet

Gluten Free

Cooking Technique

Pressure Cook, Sauté

Keywords

1-2 hours, 6 servings, bay, black pepper, contributed, cook 55 min, dried oregano, dried split green peas, dried thyme, dry sherry or additional broth, easy, ghee (store-bought or homemade, gluten free, ham bone or ham hock, instant pot soup recipe, large carrot, low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth, modern, plain 2% greek yogurt, prep 10 min, pressure cook, ribs celery, sauté, seasoned salt, soup, soup recipes, worcestershire sauce or sugar-free steak sauce, yellow onion

Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

55 min

Servings

6 servings

Ingredients

3 tablespoons ghee (store-bought or homemade
1 yellow onion
2 ribs celery
1 large carrot
1/2 cup dry sherry or additional broth
5 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce or sugar-free steak sauce
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 leaves bay
1 pound dried split green peas
1 ham bone or ham hock
1/4 cup plain 2% Greek yogurt

Instructions

Add the ghee or olive oil to the Instant Pot and hit Sauté. Once heated (about 3 minutes), add the onion, celery, and carrot and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the sherry and allow to simmer for another minute. Add the broth, Worcestershire or steak sauce, seasoned salt, pepper, thyme, oregano, bay leaves, and split peas and stir. Add the ham hock.
Secure the lid, move the valve to the sealing position, hit Keep Warm/Cancel, and then hit Manual or Pressure Cook on High Pressure for 15 minutes. When done, allow a 15-minute natural release followed by a quick release.
Discard the bay leaves and remove the ham hock (see Jeff's Tips). Stir all the contents in the pot up from the bottom as the split peas will have basically become a puree and will thicken the soup immediately once stirred up.
Stir in the yogurt (if using) until combined, and serve.

Notes

JEFF’S TIPs: If you want a slightly thinner soup, add another cup of broth in Step 4.
You can use some of the meat from the ham hock for garnish, if desired.

If you have leftovers, you can always save them in the fridge or even in the freezer, but note that the soup will get very thick as it cools—almost like a paste. This is because the peas continue to absorb the broth even after cooking. Once reheated, it will become soup-like again, but to achieve this, you’ll have to add some more broth of your choice while reheating and mix well to thin it out a bit. Use 1/3 to 1/2 cup of broth for each 1 cup of leftover soup you heat up.

Per serving
Calories: 459
Fat: 30.8g
Carbs: 13.2g
Sodium: 752mg
Protein: 31.8g
Fiber: 4.4g
Sugars: 2.3g