We’ve been pretending around here. Pretending that it actually feels like fall.
But we’re not pretending that a busy fall schedule has descended upon us — noooo, that’s reality, folks — so I’ve been relying on my slow cooker, now more than ever.
And what’s easier to whip up in the crock pot than a warm, comforting, perfect-for-fall (or perfect when you’re pining for fall) soup? I particularly love throwing dried beans — or in this case, split peas — in the crock pot. Say hello to a supper that’s hearty (and healthy!) but not heavy.
It also makes me a happy camper to be able to throw in various other vegetables, which end up cooking down enough to be somewhat incognito. I shred my carrots, rather than dicing them, to further assist their melt-into-the-soup action (and now that I’m thinking about it, maybe that’s why my should be greenish split pea soup has an orange undertone?). All of this simply means that my kids eat their veggies without a fuss and I don’t have to worry about extraneous vegetable side dishes to go with dinner that night. Win, win!
Feel free to increase or change up the veggies in this soup, by the way. You could toss in some celery, onions…whatever floats your boat. I prefer leaving those out in lieu of extra garlic, but slow cooker soups like this are infinitely customizable, so add whatever makes it appealing to your family.
For most slow cooker recipes calling for broth, I use my old standby: Organic Better Than Bouillon chicken (or turkey, or beef, or vegetable) base. As I’ve mentioned in other recipe posts, it’s pretty salty, so I initially use less than called for and then adjust to taste. However, seldom do I feel the need to add more salt at the end when using Better Than Bouillon. If you’ve never heard of this Better Than Bouillon of which I speak, make haste to this popular post where I detail why I love it so much. (And by the way, I’m not being compensated for waxing poetic about BTB…I just really think it’s great stuff!)
I hope that this Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup is yet another recipe that you’ll be able to add to your arsenal of easy, tasty, healthy meals that will please your family while fitting into your busy schedule!
Your crock pot does all the work for this warm and comforting soup, made hearty (but not heavy) by the addition of diced ham, potatoes, and carrots.
Ingredients
- 16 ounces dried green split peas, rinsed and drained
- 2 cups diced ham
- 2 cups diced potatoes
- 2 cups shredded carrots
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 8 cups chicken (or vegetable) broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley, minced, plus extra for garnish
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Place dried split peas, ham, potatoes, carrots, and garlic in the bottom of the slow cooker. Pour in chicken broth. Stir in bay leaf and parsley. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours (or on high for 4 to 5 hours). Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
Notes
You can dice your carrots if you prefer more noticeable bites of carrot, but I like shredding mine because they practically melt into the soup and my kids don't spend time trying to avoid them.
The amount of liquid in this recipe should be more than sufficient, but any time you cook a dried bean recipe in the crock pot for the first time, you'll want to check your water/broth level every once in awhile to make sure too much hasn't been soaked up by your beans/peas. If it has, just add more water/broth and stir. Some crock pots run hotter than others.
I use 8 cups of water and add a big tablespoon of Better Than Bouillon chicken base in lieu of chicken broth. Just be aware that BTB is pretty salty, so start with a conservative amount and add more if needed. I usually don't end up adding salt at the end when I use BTB.
Adapted from Whole Foods Market.
More easy slow cooker soups…
Slow Cooker German Lentil Soup with Sausage
Slow Cooker Corn & Potato Chowder with Ham
Slow Cooker Balsamic & Herb Beef Stew with Cornbread Waffles
Slow Cooker Chicken & White Bean Chili
Jodee Weiland says
September 14, 2013 at 2:04 amLooks so delicious…can’t wait to try this!
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
September 14, 2013 at 2:55 amThanks so much, Jodee…I hope you enjoy it! Happy Friday!
Maria says
September 14, 2013 at 9:51 pmWhat a delicious looking soup! Split pea soup is one of my favorites, and your version looks wonderful! Today is the first really cold day here in Maryland, and I’m in the mood for some good soup now! This looks great!!!
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
September 15, 2013 at 4:37 pmThanks, Maria! Having this soup on a cold day sounds WONDERFUL. It’s a chilly 84° in Texas at the moment, so maybe I should make some soup right away before it’s back up to 97° this afternoon! Ugh. Enjoy your soup and your fall temperatures! 🙂
Krista @ joyfulhealthyeats says
September 15, 2013 at 3:39 amThis looks awesome, Split Pea is one of my favorite comfort soups. In fact, when I was sick I use to ask for that instead of chicken noodle. 🙂 Totally gonna try making this, especially because it is as easy as throwing it into the crock pot! 🙂
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
September 15, 2013 at 4:40 pmThanks, Krista! Hopefully you can enjoy this soup while you’re well instead of sick! And it’s so easy to make…I love recipes where the only effort involved is throwing ingredients into the crock pot. Hope your week is off to a great start… 🙂
Zainab @ Blahnik Baker says
September 15, 2013 at 4:30 pmThankfully it is actually feeling like fall here in Upstate NY and I can’t wait to dust off the crock pot. This soup looks so delicious and will be a great comfort soup.
Sharon says
September 15, 2013 at 7:03 pmSo delicious looking! This is just in time for the cool days that are approaching. I’ve never had split-pea soup but this definitely looks like something I should try.
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
September 16, 2013 at 1:35 amThanks so much, Sharon! We think it’s pretty yummy…I hope you enjoy it, too, if you end up trying it!
Daniela @frugal ain't cheap says
September 15, 2013 at 7:30 pmI love this soup! one of my favorites
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
September 16, 2013 at 1:36 amThanks, Daniela…I appreciate you stopping by!
Shannon {Cozy Country Living} says
September 17, 2013 at 1:36 amThis looks great! I love using my slow cooker for dinners during the busy week. I can’t wait to try this:)
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
September 17, 2013 at 1:59 amThanks, Shannon! I, for one, would be lost without my slow cooker. 🙂 Hope you enjoy this recipe when you try it…I appreciate you stopping by!
angela says
September 17, 2013 at 2:16 pmjust wanted to pop in to let you know we had this soup yesterday……..fantastic! we also have made your sausage/apple kabobs a couple times now and love it! keep sharing 🙂 blessings~~angela
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
September 18, 2013 at 3:54 amThank you so much for coming back and leaving such a thoughtful comment, Angela! It makes my day to hear that people are enjoying the recipes I share here, and I’m so happy to have you as a regular reader. Hope you’re having a great week! 🙂
Amy | Club Narwhal says
September 18, 2013 at 1:22 pmSoup season is my very favorite (I made broccoli cheddar to kick it off) but split peas soup is my absolute favorite thing about my favorite season 🙂 I love that you make this in the slow cooker. It’s so great to come home from work with dinner already cooked. Pinning, and can’t wait to make it!
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
September 19, 2013 at 2:11 amThanks so much, Amy! Since it sounds like you’re a split pea soup connoisseur, I hope you enjoy this version. 🙂 I really appreciate your comment and the pin. Hope you’re having a great week!
Kimberly @ A time to freeze says
September 21, 2013 at 3:05 amSamantha,
There is something so “Fall” about split pea soup. This recipe looks great! I have a recipe that I’ve been using for a few years but it gets really, really thick as leftovers and I’ve never tried to troubleshoot. This recipe looks a little different, so I’m guessing it’s probably the one to go with. Now I’m craving it. Better add it to the upcoming meal plan. 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
September 21, 2013 at 6:59 amThanks, Kimberly! I hope you enjoy this soup. In my experience, the consistency doesn’t seem to change as leftovers…hope it works out for you as well! Have a great weekend!
Andrya says
September 22, 2013 at 2:25 pmMade this soup yesterday and it was fantastic! Made it exactly [diced my carrots instead of shred] and it was perfect for the cold rainy day we were having! Definite keeper!
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
September 22, 2013 at 5:21 pmI’m very happy to hear that, Andrya! It’s definitely a great soup for a rainy day. Thanks so much for stopping by to let me know that you enjoyed it! Hope you have a great week… 🙂
Sarah says
September 27, 2013 at 2:42 pmHi! I am new to your blog – I made this soup the other night and it was DELICIOUS! I will be making the crockpot meatballs, for meatball subs – tomorrow.
Thanks for a great and very easy recipe!!
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
September 27, 2013 at 3:38 pmI am so happy to hear this, Sarah! I hope you love the meatball subs as much as you enjoyed the soup. And stay tuned for more easy recipes…those are my forte right now with three young children! 😉
Sandi says
January 4, 2014 at 12:06 pmHi! This looks amazing! I was wondering if it would work to put a ham bone in it? I have a very meaty bone in the freezer from Christmas dinner….
Thanks, Sandi
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
January 4, 2014 at 12:38 pmHi Sandi! I think you could definitely put a ham bone in it! Then when the soup is done, you could pull out the bone and pull off any remaining meat to put back in the soup (or if there’s not, you could proceed with the diced ham at the beginning of the cook time as the recipe originally calls for). I would just advise using low-sodium chicken broth (and don’t add any additional salt unless it’s needed at the end) to make sure things don’t get too salty. Thanks for the question…enjoy! 🙂
Wendy Hodges says
April 23, 2014 at 9:21 pmSo I have all this leftover Easter ham and it’s still chilly here in the Northwest – have everything prepped and ready to go for tomorrow so it will cook while I’m at work. Can’t wait!
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
April 25, 2014 at 1:30 pmIt’s a great way to use up extra Easter ham, Wendy! I hope you enjoyed it…and I hope your weather warms up soon! 🙂
Jennifer Fountain @GrowingUpTriplets.com says
August 1, 2014 at 4:07 pmLooks delish! I’ll be trying this recipe this month! 🙂
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
August 5, 2014 at 12:31 pmI hope you enjoy it, Jennifer! This is one of our cool-weather staples at my house. I’m looking forward to making it, too…in another 3 months or so when Texas is finally below 90-degrees! 😉 Thanks for stopping by…hope you’re having a great week!
Lauren says
August 12, 2014 at 8:16 pmI don’t know that I’ve ever had split pea soup before, but your pictures make it look pretty amazing. I’m going to have to make this for my family this fall.
I’d be thrilled if you’d link up at this week’s Off the Hook Monday!
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
August 14, 2014 at 1:01 amThanks so much for the invite, Lauren…hopping over now to link up. 🙂 And I hope you enjoy the soup!
Sandra says
October 26, 2014 at 10:28 amThis soup was absolutely delicious! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
October 27, 2014 at 12:44 amYou’re very welcome, Sandra…I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed it! Have a great week. 🙂
Christine says
November 12, 2014 at 9:26 amHello Samantha!
Just wanted to let you know that I tried this pea soup recipe a couple of days ago and it is wonderful! My fiancee, who generally hates peas, loved it and even went back for seconds. : ) I have your German lentils with sausage in my crackpot now and can’t wait to taste them. Have a great day and thanks for sharing these awesome and simple recipes!
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
November 13, 2014 at 1:09 pmIt makes me so happy to hear that, Christine! Certain members of my family are leery of peas as well but they like this soup. 🙂 Hope the Lentil Soup was a hit as well (we just had it last night, too!), and I’m glad that you’re enjoying the recipes I share. Have a great rest of the week!
LissKB says
December 8, 2014 at 11:14 amThis recipe looks great and so easy! I love split pea soup, but I’m not a big fan of ham. Do you have any suggestions for a substitute? Do you think chicken sausage would be ok??
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
December 10, 2014 at 12:33 amHi there! I often swap out ham for sausage and vice versa in my crock pot soups. If you like chicken sausage, then I think you will enjoy it in this soup. The flavor will be different than ham, of course, but still tasty. Hope that helps…enjoy! 🙂
Xtina says
January 7, 2015 at 12:58 pmI recently made the split pea soup. It was my first ever attempt at split pea soup and it turned out amazing. I added a teaspoon of thyme as well as rosemary. I omitted the potatoes simply because we were kind of sick of potatoes! The whole family enjoyed the soup and I had zero leftovers! Thanks for the great recipe.
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
January 9, 2015 at 12:44 amI’m so glad your family enjoyed this, Xtina! I bet the herbs made it even better. 🙂 Thanks for stopping back by to let me know that it was a hit…hope you have a great weekend!
susan Dunagan says
July 10, 2016 at 4:07 pmThis soup took longer than 10 hours for the peas to completely cook but the flavor was ok. I wish it would have had more of a “pea” flavor. We did add salt and pepper when finished cooking! What can we do next time to get that split pea flavor?
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
July 20, 2016 at 4:40 pmHi Susan! Adding the right amount of salt at the end can definitely bring out the flavors in the soup. As for wanting more of a split pea flavor, I’m not positive…perhaps trying another brand of split peas?
Jahanzaib says
January 20, 2018 at 2:07 pmi was searching pea soup recipes on google and i’m so glad i found your site and your recipe. delicious!