Instant Pot Split Pea and Ham Soup

Who wants to know how to make Instant Pot Split Pea and Ham Soup? I did! And it’s so easy, you are going to love this recipe. I mean, you literally just dice it all up, dump all the ingredients in your pressure cooker, set the pot to come to pressure, and walk away. How can dinner get any better than that? Plus, it’s the comfort food you remember (or in my case, the soup I had always wondered about), so add a nice crusty bread and enjoy this nutritious soup with your family. [Pssst. If you like making soups in your Instant Pot, you are going to love this list.]

So what exactly are split peas? That’s a great question and one I was unclear on myself. Split peas are the dried, peeled and split seeds of Pisum sativum (a legume), the pea. Split peas are high in protein (yeah!) and low in fat (perfect!). The split pea is a natural food source that contains some very high amounts of dietary fibre, containing 26 grams of fibre per 100 gram portion. That’s crazy. And the carbohydrates are complex, so that’s encouraging too. (source: Wikipedia)

Did you know that split pea soup used to be called pease pudding and the European variety often includes ham hocks? Our Instant Pot Split Pea and Ham Soup contains leftover cubed ham, which for me is a little easier. When we are finished with a ham, my husband dices it all up off the bone for me and puts the cubed pieces in the freezer to use in soups and other recipes when I’m ready. Well, this is a tasty way to use up those ham leftovers!

Here’s a fun tip: Practice dicing all of your veggies and meats the same size. I saw this on Food Network once, and I didn’t think it made a difference until I tried it! Soups are so nice on the tongue when everything is relatively the same size dice. For our Instant Pot Split Pea and Ham soup, all of the veggies and meat will need to be diced up ahead of time (except for the dried peas). So you have a great chance to practice this skill!

Are you wondering what to serve with your pressure cooker split pea soup? You could add a tasty ham and cheese panini or grilled cheese, a thin crepe on the side, a nice crusty bread, cheese biscuits, or corn bread. Any of those will pair nicely. The soup itself is hearty and filling, and very nutritious, so you don’t need a lot of sides! Our favorite family meals are those with a nice hot bowl of soup, crusty bread, and peanut butter. That works with this soup too! Making split pea and ham soup in the Instant Pot is comfort food at its finest.

Instant Pot Split Pea and Ham Soup

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• Author: Amy Blevins

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 16 ounces dried split peas
• 16 ounces diced ham
• 4 carrots, diced
• 3 celery stalks, diced
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• ½ teaspoon white pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• ½ teaspoon ground thyme
• 6 cups chicken stock

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients to the inner pot of the Instant Pot.
2. Put the lid on the pressure cooker and turn the pressure valve to sealed. Set manual high-pressure time for 15 minutes, doing a natural pressure release for 15 minutes before letting the remaining pressure out. 

Serves 8

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