Name: Creamy Split Pea Soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 70 min
Ingredients: 1/2 lb Sliced Bacon; 1 White Onion, diced; 2 Celery Ribs, diced; 1 Carrot, peeled and diced; 1 lb Dried Split Peas; 2 qts Water; 2 Potatoes, peeled and diced; 2 C Ham, diced; 2 tsp Salt; 1 Bay Leaf; 1/4 tsp Black Pepper; 1 Ham Bone; 1 C Heavy Whipping Cream

Soup Season – Part 3

Jump to Recipe

The chill of the crisp winter air still lingers across the nation and my favorite way to defrost is a warm bowl of homemade soup. For the third and final post in my Soup Season series (Part 1 Chicken Noodle & Part 2 Cuban Black Bean) I would like to share my Smoky Split Pea Soup.

Growing up just a short drive from the original Pea Soup Andersen’s restaurant, I learned at a young age to appreciate the thick, smoky flavor of a wonderful bowl of Split Pea. The roadside restaurant has been a destination stop for travelers since it first opened in 1924. Marked by the iconic Danish windmilll, one of my favorite things about dinning at the restaurant was venturing down to the gift shop. I remember feeling like I was in a secret passage of a magic castle as I tip toed down the stone steps that wound their way down to the gift & toy shop.

Hap-pea & Pea-wee became the official mascots of Pea Soup
Andersen’s in 1930.

A steamy, fresh bowl of Split Pea was always a treat at Andersen’s. I remember my mom bringing home cans of Andersen’s Pea Soup from the grocery store once. While it was remanisant of the yummy signature soup of our favorite roadside stop, it just wasn’t the same.

A Recipe Journey

A few years ago, I set out to find a recipe that would bring back those sweet childhood memories in our own home when I stumbled on this great one! The crispy, crumbled, bacon and hearty smoky ham really makes this Split Pea Soup scrumptious! I made a couple adjustments like adding carrot, and using a ham bone which really took this recipe over the top. Just save your bone next time you make ham. Wrap the bone and keep it in you freezer until you’re ready to use it.

One of my best tips for making this soup comes from something I learned from my sister-in-law Kelley over 20 years ago. She had this amazing stick blender gadget. I’d never seen one before and ran out and bought my own right away. When I first made this recipe, I was excited to have another great recipe to use my stick blender on! Instead of waiting for the soup to cool and processing small batches in the blender, I just use my Immersion, stick blender right in the pot and the soup is ready to serve in just a few short minutes.

Using an immersion, stick blender makes quick time of processing the soup into a creamy, delicious dish.

Enjoy!

Creamy Split Pea Soup

Course Soup

Keyword Split Pea Soup

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings 8

Ingredients

1/2 lb Sliced Bacon
1 White Onion, diced
2 Celery Ribs, diced
1 Carrot, peeled and diced
1 lb Dried Split Peas
2 qts Water
2 Potatoes, peeled and diced
2 C Ham, diced
2 tsp Salt
1 Bay Leaf
1/4 tsp Black Pepper
1 Ham Bone
1 C Heavy Whipping Cream

Instructions

In a heavy bottomed pot, cook bacon over medium heat, until crispy. Set aside on a plate lined with a paper towel to absorb grease. Do not drain the bacon grease from the pot.
Add onion, celery, and carrot to the bacon grease. Saute until vegetables are tender. Add peas, water, potatoes, ham, salt, bay leaf, and pepper. Add ham bone, bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 45 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Remove ham bone and bay leaf.
Using a stick blender, blend ingredients until smooth. See recipe notes if you don’t have a stick blender.
Add heavy whipping cream and stir until thoroughly incorporated. Crumble cooled bacon and use to garnish soup.

Recipe Notes

If you don’t have a stick blender, allow the soup to cool and process the soup in small batches in the blender until smooth. Return processed soup to the pot and heat.