I had some split pea soup from the hospital cafeteria the other day and while it was satisfying, something about it just didn’t taste genuine. So, I thought it was time to make some of my own. Plus, it was >$2 per serving and I knew that I could do better than that! Right I was.
Smoked ham hocks are usually used to infuse split pea soup with flavor, but I didn’t feel like dealing with one of those monstrosities. So, I went with bacon instead. Bacon still gives you that salty-smokey ham flavor, but is a little easier to deal with (and sometimes easier to find). Bacon and potato are pretty much made for each other, so I decided to throw some of those in there too. Between the bacon and chicken broth, this soup already has a lot of flavor going on, so you don’t have to mess with measuring out five or six different herbs and spices. It’s as simple and delicious as it gets. It’s soup for beginners!
Split Pea, Bacon & Potato Soup
Servings 8 1-1.5 cups eachIngredients
- 6 oz bacon ($1.68)
- 1 medium yellow onion ($0.47)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 1 lb split peas ($1.48)
- 8 cups chicken broth* ($1.04)
- 1 whole bay leaf ($0.15)
- freshly cracked pepper ($0.05)
- 1 1/2 lbs potatoes ($1.44)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
Instructions
- Cut the bacon into one-inch strips and add to a large pot. Cook the bacon over medium heat until it is brown and crispy.
- While the bacon is browning, dice the onion and mince the garlic. Once the bacon has browned, add the onion and garlic to the pot and continue to cook and stir over medium heat. The moisture from the onions will dissolve the browned bits from the bottom of the pot and absorb the bacon flavor.
- Once the onions are soft and translucent (5 minutes), add the split peas, chicken broth, bay leaf, and a healthy dose of freshly cracked pepper (20-25 cranks of a pepper mill).
- Allow the soup to begin heating through while you peel and cube the potatoes. Cut the peeled potatoes into one-inch cubes then add them to the soup. Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to high, and bring it to a rolling boil. When it reaches a rolling boil, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer gently for 45 minutes.
- After 45 minutes of simmering, test the peas to make sure they are very soft. Turn the heat off and let the soup cool slightly. Remove the bay leaf and then use an immersion blender to lightly blend the soup until it is creamy with a few chunks. If you don’t have an immersion blender, carefully transfer a few cups at a time to a blender, drape a towel over the lid, and pulse the contents until smooth. Work in batches until half of the soup is blended smooth.
- Taste the soup and add additional salt as needed (I added about 1/2 teaspoon). Serve with crusty bread or garnishes like shredded cheddar cheese or sliced green onions.
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Notes
Nutrition
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How to Make Split Pea Soup with Bacon – Step by Step Photos
Start by slicing the bacon into one-inch strips. I used half of a 12 oz. package. The other half will be frozen for later use. Place the sliced bacon in a large pot and cook over medium heat until brown and crispy.
While the bacon is cooking, dice the onion and mince the garlic.
Now the bacon is nicely browned and crispy. The brown stuff stuck to the bottom of the pot will be dissolved off in the next step, so don’t worry about that. If you plan on blending your soup until it is completely smooth later (I left mine half chunky), you may want to remove the bacon at this step and add it back in the end. The bacon fat will still provide plenty of flavor as the rest of the soup cooks.
Add the onions and garlic to the pot. Continue to cook and stir. As the onions soften and release moisture, the browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot will loosen and dissolve. Cook until the onions are soften and translucent.
Add the split peas. You can find these in near the dry beans in the grocery store.
Also add the chicken broth, bay leaf, and some freshly cracked pepper.
Allow the soup to begin heating while you peel and cube the potatoes. I used red skinned potatoes, but decided to peel them so that the soup would be a bit more smooth in the end. Cut them into one-inch cubes then add them to the soup. Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to high and let the pot come to a rolling boil. Once it reaches a rolling boil, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer gently for 45 minutes.
After 45 minutes check to make sure the peas are very soft. Remove the bay leaf and turn off the heat.
Allow the soup to cool a bit because blending hot liquids is super dangerous. Work in small batches, filling your blender only half way. Always drape a towel over the blender so that if some of the hot/warm liquids escape, they won’t spray all over and burn you (because no soup, no matter how delicious, is worth burning your face off for).
Pulse the mixture until it is smooth, then add it back to the pot. Repeat this process until about half of the soup has been blended smooth.
Taste the soup one last time and add more salt as needed. Potatoes tend to absorb a lot of salt, so you’ll likely need a little bit more just to give it some punch. I added about 1/2 teaspoon. Now you have a silky smooth yet chunky Split Pea, Bacon & Potato Soup.
This looks so yummy! Could I make this in an Instant Pot using the same method from this recipe? https://www.budgetbytes.com/2016/10/pressure-cooker-split-pea-soup/ I could saute the bacon and then remove, adding back in when the soup is finished (or I might use ham, not sure!) Thank you for your blog–I love your recipes!
Yes, I think that would work well! :)
Looks amazing! How could you do this in the slow cooker?
I wanted to love this soup, I really did. I have made quite a few of your recipes and they are all superb. Unfortunately something was just a little off with this one. Strange flavour, but I’m not sure how that could be given the straight forward ingredients. Quite possible I did something wrong – clearly I’m in the minority on this one. Now I’ve got to figure out what to do with a big pot of soup that none of my family will eat.
I made this last night and it was delicious. I used 1 1/2 times the stock as the soup would otherwise be more like a stew. Also used quite a lot of garlic and pepper. Great and simple recipe!
Phenomenal!
Easy to make and delicious. Will definitely make again!
Hi
Love your recipe. I am making your split pea soup. It taste fabulous. You can invest in an immersion blender so that you will not worry about getting burned when transferring hot soups. Thanks Doris
So far so good. Kids are sick and wanted to make some fresh soup for dinner for them. In addition to the bacon, I had some regular breakfast sausage links and chopped them up and cooked with the bacon to add a little more flavor. Don’t have bay leaf, but don’t really need it, I added some fresh oregano, but not much. When I serve it, I’ll add Dr shredded cheese on top, and got the bread ready. Thanks for this recipe!
Thank you Beth for this terrific recipe. I made it using yellow split peas which I bought for $1; and a vegetarian bacon substitute which was on special for $2. The most expensive ingredient was the potatoes which were organic, and cost me $4. All in all, a cheap and delicious meal that now sees the excess in 3 continers in the freezer. It made a delicious lunch today, despite the unseasonally warm winter weather where I live in the southern hemisphere.
I think my favorite part of so many of your recipes is how easy it is to make tweaks to the original and still have something delicious. I have become a better cook by using your recipes. :)
For this one, I didn’t have any potatoes, but I did have a yellow bell pepper and some mushroom stems that I was trying to avoid wasting, so I tossed those in with the onions. I also added some italian seasoning mix, but skipped the salt. Definitely going to try again, but with potato. Also, I love how much easier it is for me to use bacon than ham. I buy a 3 lb package of bacon when it’s on sale and then divide that up into 6 portions and freeze. Pull one portion out of the freezer, chop while frozen, toss it in the pan and it’s good to go. :)
they also make a Ham Better Than Bullion. gives a nice hammy flavor without dealing with the hamhocks. I haven’t seen it at the stores around here so ordered it on line. Love your recipes!
Another fantastic recipe. My only change was to substitute small ham pieces for the bacon. Really great taste and a huge hit with my husband who loves split pea soup (so he is picky). Thanks.
We made this tonight and it tasted good but it boiled dry halfway through cooking and we had to add another 450ml of stock. It was very thick but tasted good!
I don’t like pea soup but my husband has been asking me to make some so I made this and it was so delicious!
Making this for the millionth time, it’s def my go to quick soup recipe. Made my own chicken stock yesterday so using that this time :-)