French-Canadian Split-Pea Soup Recipe

One of Susan's passions is cooking and creating new recipes for family and friends.

Yellow or Green Peas?

There are many variations on how to make pea soup, and French-Canadian pea soup is one of them. You can use either green or yellow peas for the following recipe. The traditional Quebec version calls for yellow peas. I just use what I have, as they both taste the same to me.

Cook Time

Ingredients

• Hambone with a bit of meat left on it
• 2 onions, diced
• 3 cups of green or yellow or green split peas, rinsed
• 10 cups of water
• 3 tablespoons dehydrated chicken broth
• 2 shakes of fine sea salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 4 –5 garlic cloves, pressed

Instructions

1. Place the hambone in a soup pot, and add water, and bring to a boil.
2. Set burner to medium heat and let the bone cook for about ½ hour.
3. Remove the bone and cut the meat off. Chop the meat into bite-sized pieces.
4. Add onions, split peas, hambone, and chopped ham into the water.
5. Add salt, pepper, and chicken broth, and stir. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to medium and cook for 60 - 90 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. In the last 15 minutes of cooking, remove the bone, add the pressed garlic cloves, and stir.
7. Serve with thick slices of French bread and a salad or eat all on its own. ENJOY!

Does this sound good?

Notes

• I prefer to use the boxed chicken broth, but today I was out of it so I used the dehydrated. If you do use the boxed or canned broth, just decrease the amount of water that you use.
• This soup freezes really well and many times, I will double the amount I make so that I have soup on hand for boxed lunches. Ziploc bags work great for this and you can pre-measure how much soup you want to reheat for a lunch or to put into a thermos.
• Sometimes I will add chopped carrots to the soup while it is cooking.

Pea Soup

Questions & Answers

Question: I’d like to add mushrooms to this split-pea soup recipe. Which type would you suggest?

Answer: I've never thought about putting mushrooms in split-pea soup but my guess would be Enoki mushrooms. Please let me know if you do add the mushrooms as I'd be interested to know what you think.

© 2011 Susan Zutautas

Comments

Susan Zutautas (author) from Ontario, Canada on October 24, 2011:

AUPADHYAY, Thank you so much for all or your wonderful comments. I appreciate them.

ANIL KUMAR UPADHYAY from INDIA, UTTAR PRADESH STATE, KANPUR CITY on October 24, 2011:

My only comment on your healthy hubs is that it is a mouth watering and tempting hub.

Susan Zutautas (author) from Ontario, Canada on October 24, 2011:

Cloverleaf, Thanks and I hope you enjoy it.

Cloverleaf from Calgary, AB, Canada on October 24, 2011:

OOOh I am bookmarking your delicious split pea soup recipe right now. I will enjoy making this one evening after work. Thanks for sharing - voted up!

Susan Zutautas (author) from Ontario, Canada on February 21, 2011:

N.E. LOL

N E Wright from Dover, Delaware on February 21, 2011:

Hey Susan,

Me too. LOL.

N.E.

Susan Zutautas (author) from Ontario, Canada on February 21, 2011:

Thanks Marie and WalksThroughLife, Homemade soup is the best!

WalksThroughLife from Utah on February 20, 2011:

Split Pea Soup is delicious! Thanks for sharing this recipe.

Marie Landry from Ontario, Canada on February 20, 2011:

This sounds delicious, and so easy too! I love homemade soup, there's nothing like it!

Susan Zutautas (author) from Ontario, Canada on February 18, 2011:

N.E. Hope that your Mom likes it :)

N E Wright from Dover, Delaware on February 18, 2011:

Hi JustAskSusan,

My mother swears by Split Pea Soup. She loves it.

It's okay to me, but never anything I would ask for. LOL.

Still, I will copy this recipe for my mother, and let my son try it.

Thanks for sharing.

Take Care,

N.E.

Susan Zutautas (author) from Ontario, Canada on February 18, 2011:

DzyMsLizzy The yellow split peas do seems to be far and few between but I still do find them once in a while. Thanks so much!

Sally oh yes with French bread 4 sure!

Truckstop Sally on February 17, 2011:

Sounds delicious!! With croutons or crusty French bread. What a delight!

Liz Elias from Oakley, CA on February 17, 2011:

YEAH!!! I was raised on French-Canadian YELLOW pea soup! Yummy!! Do you know, in most grocery stores, yellow split peas have become nearly impossible to find??!!

I now make a vegetarian version, substituting soy bacon bits for the ham, and using vegetarian bouillon as the base.

Pea soup is somehow always better the second day!

Great hub! Thanks for sharing! Voted up. Wish you could hit the 'vote up' multiple times!

Susan Zutautas (author) from Ontario, Canada on February 17, 2011:

cheapsk8chick if you do make it let me know how you like it and thanks for stopping by.

cheapsk8chick on February 16, 2011:

I've never had split pea soup, but I've always been curious about it. Maybe having the recipe fall into my lap while hub hopping was the prod I needed to try it! Thanks Susan!

Susan Zutautas (author) from Ontario, Canada on February 16, 2011:

carrie I refused to eat pea soup when I was a child and would not ever even try it. Then once I was married my husband begged me to make pea soup for him. Made it for him for a few years then one day I thought ah I have to try this. Now I love it. I have changed the way I make it so many times but this one is pretty good especially if you like the garlic.

carrie450 from Winnipeg, Canada on February 16, 2011:

I will try this out Susan. Pea soup is one of my favorites, thanks.

Susan Zutautas (author) from Ontario, Canada on February 16, 2011:

WillStarr if you want to make it thicker add more peas. It will also thicken more the longer you cook it.

WillStarr from Phoenix, Arizona on February 16, 2011:

I like thick soups and split pea is one of my favorites. I'll have to try this recipe.