Split Pea Soup with Hambone Recipe for Easter or Anytime

Every Christmas we receive a Honey Baked Ham as a gift from my mother-in-law. And, after we eat it for Christmas Eve dinner, I save the hambone and chop up any leftover ham bits and pieces. Then I freeze it and pull it out for a Spring Equinox and/or an Easter meal. It’s actually become a tradition in my household to use the Christmas hambone as the basis of a soup for a special Spring holiday meal. Not only is it delicious and resourceful, it also represents the rebirth of the Earth. In this post, we learn how to make split pea soup with hambone and I provide you with an easy-to-follow recipe at the bottom.

Why Is Split Pea Soup with Hambone So Good?

I know there’s a lot of folks who don’t like peas or even split pea soup, for that matter. However, my family gobbles this soup up like there’s no tomorrow. Having a basic split pea soup is one thing, but having it infused and cooked down in the broth of a hambone is something quite different. It is spectacularly flavorful! What happens is the hot water breaks down the marrow and fats inside of the hambone, which then flavors the water and turns it into a broth.

Hambone broth was once an extremely popular food in the South. In fact, your hambone can be used to make all kinds of different soups! Our recommendation is this – once you remove the bone from the soup, carefully chop off any leftover meat and add that in to your soup. I also like to use a small spoon and scoop out any leftover marrow/fat in the bone and pop that into the pot!

What You’ll Need for Split Pea with Hambone

I think the main 2 ingredients for this recipe are pretty obvious: you’ll need a bag of split peas and a hambone with some ham chunks. As for the other ingredients, I try to choose as fresh as possible. You’ll need: carrots, celery, onion. And as for your herbs and spices: salt, pepper, bay leaves, and dried thyme. Some folks like to use peppercorns in their split pea soup, but I recommend if you choose to do this, put your peppercorns in a muslin bag or teabag. This way you don’t have to fish the peppercorns out of the soup later. You can easily remove the bag.

How to Make Split Pea Soup with a Hambone

First, gather all of your ingredients. Wash your veggies. Chop the veggies and prepare your herbs and spices. If your hambone is frozen, you’ll want to let it dethaw and bring it almost to room temperature. Don’t let it sit too long, though. You’ll also want to wash and sort your peas.

Next, Soften those Peas

Not everyone does this, but I find it makes the actual process easier. After you’ve washed and sorted your peas, pour them into a large dutch oven and cover them with water by about three inches. Bring to a boil and let it simmer for about five minutes, then remove it from heat. Cover your dutch oven and let the peas sit there for at least an hour. What this is doing is softening them so that when it comes cooking time, they’re easier to break down.

Time to make the hambone broth

Once your peas have softened, remove them from the dutch oven. Then add a bit of butter or oil and begin to cook your celery, carrot, and onion. When the onion is transparents, add your hamebone and 3 quarts of water (or chicken broth, the choice is yours). Next add your herbs and spices. And return your peas to the pot. Bring to a boil and let it simmer for 1 to 1 and 1/2 hours. You’ll want to see your peas breaking down in the broth.

Last, Remove the Bone

Last you’ll remove your hambone and bay leaves. Chop off any ham chunks leftover on the bone and return HALF of that to the pot. Let it simmer again for another 30-40 minutes. Then remove from heat. At this point, if you want a thinner, smoother soup, you’ll blend the soup (carefully) in batches. OR use your immersion blender (this is the easiest way to do it!) Then, at last, add the last of your ham bits and chunks. Serve hot with bread and/or salads.

Side Items for Split Pea Soup with Hambone

I don’t know about you, but sometimes soup doesn’t stick to the bones like you think it would. I eat a bowl of split pea soup with hambone and I’m hungry a few hours later. And especially if you’re having a big dinner or guests, you’ll like want to provide other side items to go along with your split pea soup. Here are a few ideas to consider:

• Salad: caesar, Spring, and iceberg salad with tomato is perfect with split pea soup
• Bread: something really crusty and/or made with herbs like rosemary and garlic (this makes for a great flavor combination)
• Sandwiches: something light like tomato tea sandwiches, easy egg salad, or turkey apple and brie sandwiches
• Mashed potatoes (you can pour the soup over the potatoes for a heartier option)
• OR add cooked potato chunks directly to the soup to beef it up

Split Pea Soup with Hambone

Split pea soup made with a hambone, ham chunks, fresh veggies and herbs.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Total Time 3 hours hrs 40 minutes mins

Course dinner, lunch, Soup

Cuisine American

Servings 6 servings

Ingredients

  

• 1 bag split peas
• 1 Hambone thawed
• 1 cup Ham bits/chunks
• 1 cup Onion Chopped
• 1 cup Carrots Chopped
• 1/2 cup Celery Diced
• 2 Bay leaves
• 1 tbsp Thyme dried
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp Butter or olive oil
• 3 quarts Water or chicken broth

Instructions

 

• Wash and prepare your vegetables and herbs.
• Wash and sort your peas.
• Chop some of the ham off the hambone (if there is any) and set to the side.
• Pour your peas into the bottom of a dutch oven. Cover with water by about 3 inches.
• Bring to a boil, let simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, let sit for 1 hour to soften.
• Pour peas into a separate bowl.
• Replace dutch oven on stove and turn on heat to medium.
• Add 1 tbsp oil or butter and add your veggies. Cook until onions are translucent.
• Add 3 quarts water (or broth), hambone, herbs and spices. Add a teaspoon of salt and pepper. Bring to a boil.
• Let simmer for 1 to 1 and 1/2 hours, until the peas break down.
• Remove hambone from the pot. Let cool and cut off any remaining bits. Scoop out fat (optional) and add back to the soup. Add some of the ham back to the soup. Remove bay leaves. Taste to see if you need to any any more salt and pepper. Add accordingly.
• Let cook for another 30 to 45 minutes. Then immersion blend or blend soup in batches for a thinner, smoother soup.
• Serve with crusty bread and/or salads.

Notes

You can also add potato chunks to this soup to make it heartier. I like to cook my potatoes separately and add at the end so that they don’t break down. 

Some people like to use peppercorns instead of ground black pepper. That is fine, but I recommend putting your peppercorns in a muslin bag or teabag and then adding to the broth. This way, you can easily remove the bag instead of fishing out all those little peppercorns. It’s way easier, trust me!

Fresh bay leaves, if you can get them, make a world of difference in flavor over the dried.

Keyword easter, holidays, soup