Instant Pot Split Pea Soup with Ham
If you’re in the market for a hearty, healthy, comforting meal in less than an hour, you can stop scrolling! This Instant Pot Split Pea Soup with Ham takes less than 15 minutes of active prep time; then, the pressure cooker does all the heavy lifting for you. You need just 10 common ingredients to make this cozy and comforting soup. It’s beginner-friendly and so tasty!
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon butter
- ½ an yellow onion chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 carrots chopped
- 2 stalks of celery chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 lb dried split peas rinsed
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 1 ham shank or ham bone if you have one in the freezer!
- up to 1 cup water to thin out if necessary
- 1-2 large soft pretzels for crouton topping (could substitute french bread)
Instructions
- In an instant pot, use the saute feature and melt the butter.
- Saute the onion, garlic, carrots, and celery for 3-5 minutes.
- Add a pinch of salt and pepper and stir one more minute.
- Turn off the saute feature and add the peas, ham shank, chicken broth, and remaining salt and pepper.
- Cover with the lid and set to manual high pressure for 15 minutes.
- Once it's done cooking, naturally let the steam release naturally for about 10 minutes.
- While that releases pressure, chop or tear the soft pretzel up and broil for 1-2 minutes then set aside.
- After the instant pot has naturally released the steam, remove the ham shank and any meat left on the bone, shred and stir back into the soup.
- If your soup is too thick, at this point stir in the extra water. Taste and add more salt if necessary.
- Top with croutons and enjoy!
Notes
Storage Directions:
- Refrigerating - As with most soup recipes, this split pea and ham number will only get better after a day or two in the fridge. Cool it to room temperature before transferring the soup to an airtight container and refrigerating it for up to a week.
- Freezing: Once cooled, freeze the soup in freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months. For easy, grab-and-go freezer meals, freeze the leftovers in silicone muffin liners or Souper Cubes. When you need a quick meal, pop your desired portion in the microwave and heat until smooth.
- Reheating: Warm the soup in a saucepan over medium-low heat for 5-10 minutes, stirring periodically, or in a microwave on gentle heat until hot. Add a splash of hot water or broth to loosen the soup if it thickened upon storage.
- Using ham bones. Save and freeze the ham bone from holiday ham roasts to use in this soup. It provides exceptional flavor and minimizes on waste!
- Wash the split peas before using. Rinse the peas well with cold water in a fine mesh strainer. Drain and sort the peas, removing any discolored peas or debris (sands, pebbles, etc.).
- Adjust the consistency. For ultra smooth soup, puree all or part of it with an immersion blender. To make it looser, stir in hot water or chicken broth until your desired consistency. For a thicker soup, reduce the chicken broth to 4 cups and add more after cooking if needed.