Split pea, vegetable and ham soup is a great dish to make using Holiday leftover ham and it's such a hearty soup that can serve as a meal, especially when you're exhausted from all the Holiday festivities.  When I serve ham during the Holidays, nothing goes to waste.  I usually separate the bones from the left over ham and freeze them separately. The leftover ham can be used for sandwiches, fried rice and even for this delicious split pea, vegetable and ham soup.  Serve this hearty soup with some crusty, warm sourdough bread and that's a meal!

I would call this split pea and ham soup, but I like adding carrots, leeks and other vegetables besides the peas, which really makes this not a green pea soup!  I find that the addition of the other vegetables rounds out the taste of the soup so that there's a little sweetness from the carrots and leeks.

I usually make this soup in an instant pot or pressure cooker which would take a total of a half an hour to make.  However, if you don't have a pressure cooker, this can be made on a stovetop, taking a little longer to make the ham broth.

Tips for making split pea, vegetable and ham soup.

Ham

De-bone your Holiday ham and use the bone for the broth. If you don't have any bones and are making this soup without bones, take some of the ham and use this for stock.  If purchasing ham from the deli, choose the least processed ham with the least amount of water injected into it.  If in doubt, don't buy ham that's shaped like a rectangle!  

Part of the ham will be used for the stock, and I like dicing some ham  to add as a garnish for color, taste and texture.  In my opinion, adding some color,  texture and bursts of flavor makes the split pea and ham soup a little more interesting.

Dried peas

Eventhough it's called split pea and ham soup, dried peas are used.  Split peas take less time to cook since they are halved.  However, dried split peas or whole peas will work.  Wash and soak the peas overnight to rehydrate.  This will make the peas easier to cook.

Other vegetables

I like making this a hearty soup.  Dried peas have plenty of fiber, but if you need extra fiber, add chopped celery.  I also like to add either leeks, onions and carrots for sweetness. 

Bay leaf

Bay leaf rounds out this soup's taste.  I discovered cooking and blending bay leaves into foods when I was in Junior High and loved making pate which called for blending the bay leaves.  Since then, when I need to elevate the taste of a stew or soup, a try to add a bay leaf.  With this soup, it works!

Cooking the split pea, vegetable and ham soup

This soup can be made quickly in an instant pot which takes about half an hour or can be made on a stove-top and simmered for 2 hours.  I make the broth first with just the ham bones before adding the vegetables, I prefer to make the broth a day or two before the soup, refrigerate the broth and remove the excess fat from the ham.  

Once the broth is made and the congealed fat is removed, bones are removed and the vegetables are added and cooked.

Blending

Once all the vegetables are cooked, blend the soup with an immersion blender or place it in a stand blender. 

Garnish

Garnish the soup in the individual bowls with Italian parsley or thinly shaved leeks and diced ham.  I love adding some corn kernals not only for color but for a little bit of crunch.  However, these garnishes are completely optional.

Enjoy this hearty soup made from Holiday ham leftovers!