Yellow Split Pea Soup with Ham

I like to shop at several different grocery stores because when I offer myself a variety of items to choose from, I often discover interesting things I wouldn't find otherwise. I was at Winn Dixie the other day and noticed these yellow split peas. I had never seen yellow ones before and decided to try them. If you want to be cooler and more current and relevant than Winn Dixie, you can find them at places like Whole Foods, also. As you can see, they are RICH IN FIBER. They are also low in calories and fat and a good source of iron.

I cooked the peas with my favorite soup spices until they were mushy and used them as the base of the soup. Then I added ham and simmered it for a few minutes. It was amazingly delicious. And really easy. It is now one of our favorite soups.

Yellow Split Pea Soup with Ham

1 lb dried yellow split peas
6 cups water
1 tsp thyme
2 tsp salt
1 tsp oregano
2 bay leaves
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp butter
2 cans chicken broth
1 ham steak, cut into cubes

In a medium saucepan, cover peas with 6 cups of water. Add oregano, salt, thyme, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about an hour.

In a larger saucepan, sauté onion in butter until tender. Add flour and stir until blended. Add chicken broth and heat to boiling, stirring with a wire whisk until blended and thickened. Stir the peas with a whisk until smooth and creamy, then add the peas and ham to the thickened broth. Simmer for about 10 minutes.
Yield: about 6 servings

Cook the peas for about an hour. They will be mushy:
Sauté onion until tender:

Add flour and blend:


Add chicken broth and bring to a boil, stirring with a whisk until thickened:

Blend peas together until creamy before adding to the chicken broth:

Blend the peas into the broth, add ham, and simmer for a few minutes:

Oooooo....... it is great comfort food. And RICH IN FIBER.

I served it with whole wheat rolls.