Easy Peasy Pea Soup
Super Simple, Super Flavorful Soup
Course Soup
Cuisine American
- 3 stalks celery diced small
- 3 large carrots diced small
- 1 medium onion diced small
- 2 T olive oil
- 2 C dried split peas rinsed and picked clean
- 5-6 C water
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1.5 C ham diced bite-sized
- salt and pepper to taste
Heat olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, celery and saute' until they begin to soften. Add all remaining ingredients and reduce heat to low simmer. Stir occasionally, and continue cooking until peas begin to break down. Add water as needed to keep soup from turning to paste!
To Finish
You have two options to finish soup. If you like a chunkier soup, do nothing but serve and enjoy. If you like a smoother soup, remove half of the soup from the pot and carefully blend in a blender, then return to the pot. OR, gently use an immersion blender to blend a bit of the soup.
The longer you cook the soup, the more the peas will break down. If you don't have a blender or immersion blender, simply keep cooking until the peas completely soften. Using the back of a wooden spoon or soup ladle you can smash the peas a bit, too.
Be sure to watch your water level during cooking. Pea soup can turn to paste pretty easily if there's not enough liquid! You can make this soup as thick or thin as you want, simply by adding more/less water.
Keyword easy soup, pea, pea soup