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Classic Split-Pea Soup

Growing up I spent a lot of vacations traveling up the California coast.  It always seemed our first stop was a small town just north of Santa Barbara known as Buelton.  Here we would stop at Pea Soup Anderson’s to have…wait for it…their famous split pea soup.

I don’t think it was the best pea soup I’ve ever had but I do know it is where I became a fan of this hardy, green liquid.  There was something about stopping at Pea Soup Anderson’s that seemed special.  I’m not sure if it was the giant windmill turning out front or going into the gift shop and buying some candy that made it exciting.  I just remember loving it.

Split pea soup is so easy to make.  It falls into the category of “set it, and forget it” for me.  This recipe is quite tasty and doesn’t require any additional seasoning.  We love it with crusty bread on these beautiful but cold winter days.

I bet you’d love it too.

Rinse the ham hock and place it in a large saucepan or Dutch oven along with the broth, split peas, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, bay leaf, thyme and 1 teaspoon salt.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are very tender, 3 to 3-1/2 hours.

Remove and discard the bay leaf.  Transfer the ham hock to a plate and let sit until cool enough to handle, at least 10 minutes.  Shred the meat (there won’t be a lot) and stir it into the soup.

Serve warm with crusty bread.

Now, how easy to make is that?  Yum.

Classic Split-Pea Soup


1 ham hock
2 32-ounce-containers chicken broth
1 pound green split peas
2 large carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon Kosher salt

Rinse the ham hock and place it in a large saucepan or Dutch oven along with the broth, split peas, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, bay leaf, thyme and 1 teaspoon salt.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are very tender, 3 to 3-1/2 hours.

Remove and discard the bay leaf.  Transfer the ham hock to a plate and let sit until cool enough to handle, at least 10 minutes.  Shred the meat (there won’t be a lot) and stir it into the soup.

Serve warm with crusty bread.

One Year Ago:  White Bean Dip

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  5. pam says

    You know, I’ve never had split pea soup. It’s one of those things that never sounded appetizing to me. I’ll probably try it and love it, and curse going all these years without it.

    Reply

  7. Lea Ann says

    I’ve been to Anderson’s and had that pea soup. I agree, nothing out of this world, but loved the Anderson’s experience. And it was good and hearty before wine tasting. Thanks for this recipe, I was going to start looking for a split pea recipe as I have a ham bone in the freezer from Christmas.

    Reply

  8. Stephanie says

    My mother has always loved Anderson’s. I remeber she would have cans of it in the cupboard. I also remember the cartoon on the front of the can with the 2 chefs splitting peas. With a large hammer and even larger chisel. Ah the memories of childhood. 🙂

    Reply

  9. June says

    Pea soup is the bomb – this is very much like the French Canadian version my Mother would make other than she’d use yellow split peas and a lot of black pepper. It’s so heart warming and pretty good for the soul too.

    Reply

  10. Jennifer says

    So is this what you were making when you couldn’t find the bay leaf?

    I haven’t heard the words Split Pea Anderson’s in years. I love split pea soup, but unfortunately no on else in the house does. I should make it for myself. 🙂

    Reply

  11. Julie says

    My husband LOVES split pea soup. Me, not so much. I recently made him some cause I’m an awesome wife and I freaked out when the peas disappeared. He assured me that was the desired result. I’ll have to make yours for him next.

    Reply

  12. Noble Pig says

    I wish there is something I could do but unfortunately this is an issue you need to fix on your end.  It sounds like something changed with your computer, possibly the security settings or something not allowing you to view certain pictures.

    Reply

  17. giz says

    Oh my – going back to my roots!!! My parents came from Poland and this was exactly the type of soup my mom would make on those cold wintery days. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

    Reply

  21. Liz C. says

    We’ve had cold weather for a solid 6 weeks & I was beginning to run out of cold weather comfort soups to make. I’d forgotten all about split pea. Yum! So that will be next on my list & yours (as always) looks fabuloso!

    Reply

  30. annb says

    That looks delicious! As does that hot chocolate and the spaghetti with an egg on top – which I’ve never seen before on spaghetti, egg on pan roasted asparagus, yes – really looks like it would be wonderful.
    (I’m commenting here on everything as I tend to come by here every few days or so as time allows, read the posts I haven’t and then comment. Unfortunately I can only comment once and then for the next 5 – 10 minutes can’t make another comment. A little window pops up telling me you can only make 1 comment a minute, tho it’s more like 8 minutes. So I decided this is the best way to let you know I’m still enjoying your blog and all your posts very much!

    Reply

  31. Kari says

    After yesterdays facebook post, you should have said “remove the bay leaf if you can find it!!” 🙂
    I make my pea soup with smoked turkey drumsticks and it is soooo delicious! Very meaty. I have always added a bit of liquid smoke to my bean and pea soups as well. Nice flavor.

    Reply

  40. Debby says

    Too funny! I blogged a very similar recipe about a month ago, talking about my childhood at Andersen’s. Your recipe is far better. I made mine in a pressure cooker, which took about an hour. Easy peasy!

    Reply

  43. LilSis says

    I honestly don’t know why I’ve never made split pea soup. It’s healthy, fast and easy and my family does enjoy peas; I’ll be trying this recipe soon.

    Bookmarking on Delicious right now!

    Reply

  46. Kaya says

    My life is, so far, dedicated to three disparate chapters:
    1. My life before split pea soup.
    2. My life after split pea soup.
    3. My life after becoming vegetarian and finding Trader Joe’s vegan split pea in a can.

    I used to drive the onerous route from PDX to Los Angeles and the image of the Anderson sign still resonates. However, I have yet to eat there! My sole food mission for the journey has always been Granzella’s in Williams. Either way, thank you for posting this recipe. I love a good ode to a good classic. When I was about 16 I finally gave in to sampling the peculiar and odorous green mush that my mom made several times a year; hence, chapter two in my life. Yum! She actually drops everything in a crock pot (ham bone should have a hearty amount of ham remaining on it! Yummo!) and lets it party for about eight hours instead of three. The result is a dense, salty, chunky delight.

    I’ve finally found a mildly acceptable replacement for this omnivore’s delight. Check out Trader Joe’s canned soup aisle for a vegan version.

    Reply

  47. Victor says

    Your dearly beloved be darned-lol. Make a 1/2 pound or 1 cup dry peas recipe as I do and freeze the rest. I’m sure the smell coming from the kitchen is bound to lure the significant other into submission-if not? Enjoy your soup-:)

    Reply

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