Split Pea and Ham Soup

I make a big batch of soup at the beginning of each week – just heat up for lunch and you’re good to go.

I just love Split Pea and Ham Soup – something about adding smoked ham (or bacon!) to a soup makes it even tastier.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil (you can use butter but I love cooking with olive oil)

3 carrots, peeled and chopped

1 stalk celery, shopped

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 1/2 cup green split peas, rinsed

2 cups chopped smoked ham

8 cups chicken stock

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon oregano

1/4 teaspoon marjoram

1/4 teaspoon thyme

1 bay leaf

Salt to taste

Directions:

In a large pot, saute vegetables with olive oil and spices on low heat, stirring for about 10 minutes. Stir in stock, ham and split peas and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and cook for about an hour and a half or until split peas are soft. Remove the bay leaf. With a hand blender, blend the soup just a little bit. Soup will thicken more as it cools.

Enjoy!