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.
Apparently I’m the only one, but I did not love this recipe and won’t make it again. I feel like the potato made a pea soup that was earthy and flat, and not in a good way. I felt it could use more spices–marjoram? It’s in my other split pea soup recipe. This recipe wasn’t noteworthy enough for me to try it a second time with the spices.
I made this & used leftover Easter ham. So delicious & I did as one of your other cooks said, & did not blend as I like the chunks of potato also. I also diced up some carrots. Love this soup !!!
This was one of the most delicious soups I have eaten, although I thought I didn’t like split pea.
Will do it regularly for sure, thanks!
Great and easy soup! Everyone loved it including my toddler. Will make again for sure!
Delicious recipe!!! Even the kids loved it which is always a major win. Has anyone tried freezing this one yet??? It does make up quite a bit.
Hooray Sylvia! Thanks for sharing. I think it could freeze well as long as you keep the potatoes covered with the soup you’ll be fine!
Wow so good….sooooo much flavor….love it
Thank you Gail!
We LOVE this soup! I am making it as I type. It is perfect as is, but I do add carrots because my husband loves carrots in most soups and says there are never enough.
Eating this for the first time AS I TYPE because I had to say how delicious this is. Made no changes to content (though to some prep for laziness–I didn’t peel my potatoes, and I used a red onion because that’s what I had). Made some whole grain baguettes to go with and holy. Moly. This is going on my usual recipe rotation. Thank you!
It is for me the best pea soup I ever had. No need to change anything, it is perfect
thank you
Yet an other delicious recipe ❤️
This is the best pea soup I ever had. Simple fast budget friendly but most of all DELICIOUS. I will make sure to never lose this recipe. I have tried many different recipes but this is the one a winner for me. I did not make any changes no need to perfect the way it is.
thanks a lot
I made this soup yesterday and it was the perfect thing to warm our tummies with it being so cold and dreary outside. I would definitely make this again, but with leek instead of onion for a different flavour.
Great recipe when there is no leftover ham to use instead of the bacon. The only thing I really changed is that I also added about a pound of carrots to the soup.
This recipe is easy to make and so delicious. I made a double batch and am so glad I did. I think that I have bookmarked so many recipes that I just buy the book. So many winners. Thank you Beth for the step by step instructions. You make cooking on a budget accesible. ☺
This was so good! At the end, I did not have to blend it as the split peas broke down and were smooth already. I liked the chunks of potatoes and bacon and didn’t want to blend them up.