Creamy yellow split pea soup studded with bits of ham, carrots, celery, and thyme. There is nothing like this soup on a cold day! I am a Canadian now living in the United States and cannot get Habitant soup anymore, so I came up with this version. I think it is as good as the real thing, if not better because it is homemade.
Canadian Yellow Split Pea Soup with Ham
Creamy yellow split pea soup studded with bits of ham, carrots, celery, and thyme. There is nothing like this soup on a cold day! I am a Canadian now living in the United States and cannot get Habitant soup anymore, so I came up with this version. I think it is as good as the real thing, if not better because it is homemade.
Ingredients
- 1 ham bone with some meat
- 2 ½ cups yellow split peas
- 5 stalks celery diced
- 4 carrots diced
- ½ large Spanish onion diced
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt or to taste
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf Optional
- 1 pinch ground black pepper or to taste
- 8 cups water or as needed
Instructions
- Gather the ingredients.
- Place ham bone, yellow split peas, celery, carrots, onion, salt, thyme, bay leaf, and pepper into a large pot; pour in water. Bring mixture to a boil and skim off any foam with a spoon.
- Reduce heat and place a lid on the pot, slightly ajar to allow some evaporation. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until yellow split peas are tender and soup is thick, about 3 hours.
- Remove ham bone from soup; remove meat from ham bone, chop or shred, and return to the pot.
Notes
Cook’s Note
You can substitute 2 smoked pork hocks or 1 small ham shank for the leftover ham bone.
You can adjust the thickness of the soup by adding a little water to thin it or removing broth with a spoon to thicken it up.
I sometimes use an immersion blender for a quick second to blend the soup, making sure to leave some chunky peas, carrots, celery, and ham.
