Split Pea Soup
Split pea soup with ham and bacon topped cornbread on the side. That’s a perfect snow day lunch.
Why is it the perfect lunch, you ask? There’s a couple of reasons. First – it’s hot. Second – the soup is creamy. Third – sweet cornbread is yummy. Fourth – Ham *and* Bacon in one meal! Fifth – the soup is made in the crock pot.
Do I need to say much more?
I’m sure you’re convinced already. The flavor of this soup is a time honored classic combination.
Economic Meal
Not yet convinced, let’s talk about this recipe a little bit more. You’ll love how economical this recipe is. Think about it for a minute.
A package of dried peas – $1.49
A bunch of carrots & celery stalks – on sale locally 4 items for $5. Usually about $1.19 for each package. This recipe only calls for a single carrot and single celery stalk. (close to 13 cents each).
An onion – 3 pounds for $2.49 and you only need a single onion (that’s about 31 cents per onion).
Ham – $2.99
Total Cost = $5.00
That seems like a very reasonable price to spend for supper … and that’s for 8 servings!
January and February are always budget conscious months for us. We’re recovering from the holidays. We’re trying to heat the house. We’re planning home remodeling projects. So any way we can minimize spending, we do. Homemade soups are high on the list for economical foods.
They’re also high on the list for controlling sodium, fat and calorie intakes. That’s important also, because many folks I know are on diets in January and February! Since you control the ingredients when you make your own soups, you can determine how the end result will affect your nutritional plan.
February in Ohio is a time when we dream of swimming suits, beaches and warm sunshine! You know, those are the big reasons we jump start our diets!
Convenient Cooking
Since this soup simmers in your crock pot or slow cooker, it’s a great time saver. I like cooking, but it seems there are always so many things that need to be accomplished. So when I have a day that has a full agenda, I pull out the crock pot and start supper first thing in the morning.
Talk about a win-win situation! I feel good having crossed something off my list early in the day and supper will be hot and ready when we want to eat!
Cornbread
I used a packaged cornbread mix for the basis of this side dish. Keeping it easy! Â I mixed up the batter according to the package instructions and baked it in my cast iron skillet. There are two trick to making this cornbread extra special.
1. Place the cast iron skillet in the oven while the oven is preheating. The skillet gets hot and the cornbread has an extra crisp edge as a result!
2. Before baking, sprinkle bacon bits over the top of the cornbread batter. I don’t really need to say anything more about this. Except thanks to Amy who came up with this brilliant idea!
Take another look at that cornbread – all bacon sprinkled, hot, crispy on the edge, soft in the middle, sweet, corny delicious-ness!
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What is your favorite home made soup?
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Split Pea Soup Recipe
Ingredients:
Dried split green peas, carrots, celery, onion, ham, water, bay leaf, salt & pepper, white rice
Recipe Directions:
Place all ingredients except rice into 2 quart crock pot or slow cooker. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high 2-3 hours. Stir occasionally. 30 minutes before serving, add rice and replace lid.
Vintage Split Pea Soup Recipe
Hearty, economical and tasty, split pea soup will warm you from the inside out.
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried split Green Peas
- 1 cup Carrots
- 1 cup Celery
- 1 cup Onion
- 2 cup Ham
- 2 quart Water
- 1 Bay leaf
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Pepper
- 1/2 cup White Rice
Instructions
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Place all ingredients except rice into 2 quart crock pot or slow cooker.
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Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high 2-3 hours.
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Stir occasionally.
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30 minutes before serving, add rice and replace lid.
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Soup is ready to serve when rice is cooked.
Recipe Notes
If you like texture in your soup, leave the peas in their oval form.
If you like creamier soups, feel free to smash up the peas or put into a blender for a quick minute.
Approximate Nutritional Information:
Servings Per Recipe: 10, Amount Per Serving: Calories: 111, Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 15g, Sodium: 612mg, Carbs: 16g, Protein: 7g
(please remember these are approximate and will vary slightly based on your ingredient selections.)
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