The stores here in Texas are slowly getting back to normal after our bit of insanity a week ago during the winter storm. That being said, it’s still slim pickings when it comes to a lot of things on the store shelves. Recovery is going to take more time, especially with an entire state in panic. And that’s on top of the anxiety we’ve all had when it comes to food, lockdown, and this virus.

That being said, one thing that I was prettifying confident I could get my hands on was dried split peas. For some crazy reason or another it’s one of the only things you’ll almost always find on the shelves. Even when everything else is long gone. Now, I’ve eaten split pea soup before, but I’ve never made it. So I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to do so.

I decided to make my Split Pea Soup in the instant pot for convenience and ease. But, I’m sure you could make this soup just the same on the stove top or even in a crock pot. This Split Pea Soup cooks together with fresh herbs and a ham hock to really put that smokey and salty flavor into it. Once cooked, the peas just fall apart and turn into this creamy and velvety soup that is perfectly delicious.

This makes a fairly large batch of soup. So much so that I stored half of it in the freezer for a meal another time.

Split Pea Soup (Instant Pot)

Yield: 8

Author: The Skinny Fork (Amanda Plott)

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 50 MinTotal time: 1 Hour

A tasty traditional and gluten-free soup that's made quickly and easily in the Instant Pot. Perfect for cold winter nights to warm yourself up with!

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. Butter
2 C. Chopped White Onion
1 C. Sliced Carrots
1 C. Chopped Celery
1 Lb. Dried Split Peas, Sorted & Rinsed
2 Garlic Cloves, Minced
1 Bay leaf
2 Tsp. Fresh Thyme Leaves
1 Smoked Pork/Ham Hock
6 C. Unsalted Chicken Stock/Broth
2 C. Water
1 C. Cubed Ham Steak

Instructions

Heat the base of the pressure cooker on the sauté feature and add in the 2 Tbsp. butter to melt.
Add in the 2 C. onion, 1 C. carrot, and 1 C. celery and sauté until starting to become tender.
Turn the sauté feature off and stir in the 1 Lb. peas, 2 garlic cloves, 1 bayleaf, and 2 Tsp. fresh thyme.
Wrap the ham/pork hock in cheese cloth and place it into the instant pot as well.
Finally, add in the 6 C. broth and 2 C. water.
Secure the lid, set the steam valve to sealed, and cook on the soup setting or on high manual pressure for 45 minutes.
Once done, do a quick release or wait for the pressure to drop naturally, then remove the ham hock in the cheese cloth and give it a good stir. (The split peas should readily just fall apart into the soup.)
Add in the 1 C. cubed ham steak, stir and cover for 15 minutes to allow the ham to warm up in the ham before serving.

Calories

225.51

Fat (grams)

6.76

Sat. Fat (grams)

2.99

Carbs (grams)

22.56

Fiber (grams)

6.50

Net carbs

16.06

Sugar (grams)

6.28

Protein (grams)

19.18

Sodium (milligrams)

732.57

Cholesterol (grams)

40.76

Nutritional Claims: High Fiber • Gluten Free • Wheat Free • Egg Free •Peanut Free • Tree Nut Free • Soy Free • Fish Free • Shellfish Free • Crustacean Free • Mustard Free •Sesame Free • Lupine Free • Mollusk Free • Alcohol Free • No Sugar Added • Sulphite Free