Oma's Ham & Split Pea Soup

Growing up my Oma made the most delicious Split Pea Soup …. we of course had NO idea how good it was because we hated the idea of puke green soup full of peas LOL. We did not realize what we were missing. Luckily for us, our taste buds have become more advanced and we truly know how good her soup was. Unfortunately Oma passed away in 2011 and it took me until recently to get her recipe for the soup. As someone who like to do her own thing in the kitchen, I did slightly modify the recipe to my liking but all in all it warms my heart to create this every once in awhile. It surely makes me feel closer to Oma <3

I did also add my homemade Garlic Butter Croutons to the soup for some added ‘Jess’! Go check those out too!

Serving Size: 8

Ingredients

• 5 Cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth

• 4 Cups Warm Water

• 1-16oz Package Green Split Peas

• 2 Cups Cooked Ham, cubed (** and 1 Ham Bone optional)

• 1 Cup White Onion, chopped

• 3/4 Cup Carrots, thinly chopped

• 2 Ribs Celery, sliced

• 2 Medium Sized Bay Leaves

• 8 Cloves Garlic, minced

• 2 Tbsp. Butter/Margarine

• 2 Tsp. Salt

• 2 Tsp. Pepper

• 1 Tsp. Thyme

Directions

• In a large stock pot melt the butter on medium heat then add the carrots, celery, onion, salt and pepper. Cook for about 12-15 minutes or until vegetables soften.

• Add the garlic and cook 2 more minutes. Add the bag of peas and the ham bone if you have one. Add the bay leaves and the thyme at this point.

• Add in the chicken broth and warm water and mix well. Bring to a boil on medium/high heat. Boil for 15-20 minutes. Turn down the temperature and simmer for approximately 90 minutes (or longer if desired).

• Add cooked ham and cook another 20 minutes. Remove the ham bone and bay leaves, then serve!