Curried Split Pea Soup

My mom got a new crock-pot this Christmas which translated into me getting her old crock-pot. She also got a crock-pot cookbook and I saw this recipe in it. I was excited to try this out for many reasons: 1) I wanted to try out my new crock-pot, 2) I have leftover Christmas ham in the freezer and need ways to use it, 3) I have a fondness for split pea soup, and 4) this recipe adds curry to the soup. My first experience with split pea soup was at a coffee shop near the U of M and it was a sort of curry-like soup and I really liked it. I was hoping this recipe would add some flair to split pea soup and remind me of the first time I had it (and really, really liked it).

I always feel like I don't eat enough vegetables so it was a nice change of pace to buy a whole bunch of veggies at the store. The recipe calls for yellow split peas, the store only had green and I don't know if there's any difference.

The night before I chopped all the veggies, rinsed and picked the peas over for small stones (none found) and chopped the ham in small pieces. I wanted to do very little work early in the morning and in either case, it wasn't a whole lot of effort. In the morning I just dumped the veggies, peas, ham and spices into the crock-pot and gave it a quick stir to mix (morning effort: less than 5 minutes).

I then added my chicken broth and water and was set. I cooked it at low for about 8 hours. I wanted my peas to be mushy and thicken the soup more than be tangible peas.

After 8 hours, my soup was ready. I ate it with a bread roll. An easy supper. And I know it doesn't look pretty; it's pea soup, what do you expect?

Verdict? A really good, easy soup. I might make some more at a later date. The curry flavor was not too strong and it added some flair to the soup. It was also nice because it's a thicker soup (I'm not a huge fan of broth soups as they don't feel very filling) but still pretty healthy (unlike creamy soups). I think the next time around, I might add some cubed potatoes because it would have been a nice addition.


Curried Split Pea Soup
Makes 4 servings (5 cups), cooking time: 4-5 hours on high, 6-8 on low

1 lb. dried yellow split peas, rinsed and picked over for stones
1 lb. cooked ham, diced (2 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup diced celery
1 fresh thyme spring
1 Tbsp curry powder
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp each kosher salt and black pepper
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
4 cups water
2 Tbsp minced fresh thyme leaves

1. Combine peas, ham, onion, carrots, celery, thyme sprig, curry powder, garlic, salt and pepper in a 3-4 quart slow cooker; add chicken broth and water.

2. Cover soup; cook until peas are tender, high heat for 4-5 hours or low heat for 6-8 hours. Remove thyme sprig. Mash peas to thicken soup, if desired. Stir in minced thyme leaves.