Slow Cooker Ham and Pea Soup
To make things easier before our move, I cooked up the meats in our freezer. The pound of ham that I needed to remove from our Christmas ham to fit it into our slow cooker was the perfect amount to cook in a soup.
This soup tasted great overall and it was a nice change from chicken soup. I will definitely cook this soup again in the summer when fresh peas are abundant, since the flavour from the dry peas is less intense than that of fresh peas. If you decide to use fresh or frozen peas, stir them into the soup during the last thirty minutes of cooking.
I’ve posted this recipe as part of Souper Sunday. Be sure to check out Deb’s post tomorrow when she shares the links to everyone’s great recipes. If you’d like to participate, click the badge for details.
Slow Cooker Ham and Pea Soup
Prep:
15 minutes
Cook:
6 hours (low) or 3 hours (high)
Yield: 6-8 servings (prepared in a 6.5 quart slow cooker
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 1⁄2 cups diced carrots (½-inch pieces)
- 1 cup diced celery (½-inch pieces)
- 1 1⁄2 cups diced onion (½-inch pieces)
- 1 lb dry, rinsed green peas (or about 2 cups of fresh or frozen peas)
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 lb cured ham, cut into quarters (cook with the skin on for extra flavour)
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme (plus extra for garnish)
- 3 bay leaves
- 7 cups water
Place all of the ingredients into the slow cooker. (If you are using fresh or frozen peas, add them during the last 30 minutes of cooking instead.)
Cook on low for 6 hours (or high for 3 hours).
Transfer the pieces of ham into a bowl where you can shred the meat into small, bite-sized pieces.
Remove and discard the thyme and bay leaves.
Stir the ham back into the soup and ladle into bowls.
