Comforting Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup with Ham

Comforting and delicious, this Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup with Ham will convert even a pea hater, into a pea lover. Please, I beg of you “Give Peas A Chance!”

My husband’s least favorite vegetable are peas, so it was my quest to make a split pea soup that even he would enjoy. Personal challenge accepted. Game on!

I’m pleased to announce that even though my husband wasn’t very thrilled when I told him that we were having split pea soup for dinner the day I had made this, while he was eating this Slow-Cooker Split Pea Soup with Ham, he told me how much he liked it and he gave it a full two-thumbs up! Score!

Since this recipe doesn’t call for a ham bone to flavor the soup, the best way I know to get the most flavor out of the ham is to brown it well in a skillet before adding it to the cooker.

Another way I added unexpected flavor to the pot is by stirring in some prepared salsa. Doing this gave the soup a lovely color and took away some of the “greenness” that I thought would be a turn-off for other pea-haters out there, like my husband.

SLOW-COOKER SPLIT PEA SOUP WITH HAM   {PRINT THIS RECIPE}
Yield:  2 quarts        Prep Time:   10 minutes        Cook Time: 8 hours on low, 6 hours on high

4 tablespoons butter, divided
1½ pounds ham, cut into chunks
1 red onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled and chopped into small pieces
1 package split peas
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon ground coriander
4 small bay leaves
2 quarts chicken broth (I use low-sodium)
1 cup prepared salsa
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

-In a large skillet, brown the cut ham in 2 tablespoons butter. Stir in the onion and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, for approximately 5 minutes.

-Stir in the dried peas, salt, pepper, coriander, bay leaves, and about 1/4 cup of the chicken broth, making sure to scrape up the browned bits at the bottom of the skillet.

-Carefully transfer the mixture into a 3-4 quart slow-cooker. Pour in the remaining chicken broth and stir in the prepared salsa. Cover and set the cooker for the preferred cooking time (6 hours on low – 8 hours on high).

-Right before serving stir in the lemon juice and 2 tablespoons butter. Serve by ladling the soup into bowls, and serve along with some hot bread and a green salad.

You’ll notice that the peas in this soup are not all mushy and soft, even after cooking for hours and hours in the cooker. I think that’s what my husband appreciated most about the peas in this soup. They still had a soft little bite to them, so his whole “pea texture” thing was no longer an issue. Yay!

 

I’m so happy that my husband enjoyed this soup and that I have his blessing to make it again during the upcoming winter months. Slow-cooking is such a great way to prepare a meal early in the day for those days when making dinner at the end of the day is the last thing you want to do after work. Even if work means you’ve been painting and blogging all day long, in your pajamas
. LOL  Just kidding. I always put my clothes on!

Although I do enjoy my slow-cooker quite a bit, I confess that I still have a long way to go before I can claim to be…

but I’m working on it…

If there is ever anything I can paint for you, from aprons to tea towels, to glassware, please don’t hesitate to contact me or visit my shop on Etsy. Custom orders are always welcome, and always encouraged. I’ll also happily work from any photo or description you send my way.