Name: Split-Pea Soup with Ham
Total time: PLACEHOLDER
Cuisine: MexicanLatin America & Caribbean
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons unsalted butter; 1 medium onion , chopped medium; 2 carrots , peeled and chopped medium; 3 large cloves garlic , minced; 1 pound ham steak , chopped fine; Pinch sugar; 1 pound dried split peas , picked over and rinsed; 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth; 2 cups water; 1 bay leaf

Why This Recipe Works

We developed our Split-Pea Soup with Ham recipe to turn this “day-after" soup into a weeknight meal. We replaced the hambone with a ham steak, chopping the meat fine so it blended into the soup. Cooking the ham steak with the vegetables ensured that its flavor fully permeated the soup. Before adding the dried split peas to the soup, we made sure to thoroughly check for any tiny pebbles.

Before You Begin

The ham steak is very salty, so you probably won’t need to add salt to the soup. If you have any leftover roast ham in your refrigerator, feel free to use it in place of the ham steak (though you may need to adjust the seasonings).

Instructions

Melt butter in large stockpot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, garlic, ham, and sugar; cover and cook until vegetables are soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Add peas, broth, water, and bay leaf; increase heat to high and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until peas are soft, about 40 minutes. Discard bay leaf and add pepper to taste. Serve.

Make Ahead

Split-pea soup can be refrigerated for several days or frozen for a month. Because split peas continue to soak up liquid over time, the soup may be dense when reheated. If the soup is too thick, stir in 1/4 cup water at a time until the consistency is to your liking. Simmer over medium-low heat until the soup is hot.