Swedish Pea Soup with Ham (Ärtsoppa)
This Swedish Pea Soup with Ham is a soul-warming, comforting meal in a bowl for any night of the week.
- Prep time
- 15 min
- Cook time
- 40 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 onion (diced small)
- 8 ounces ham steak or cooked deli ham (cut into ½ inch cubes)
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh marjoram or thyme
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- 2 cups yellow split peas (picked over and rinsed)
- 2 carrots (peeled and diced small)
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 3 cups water (more if needed)
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 bay leaf
- Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
- Juice of half a lemon (more to taste)
- Chopped fresh parsley for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add ham, marjoram, ginger and allspice and cook for an additional minute.
- 2
Add split peas, broth, water, carrots, baking soda and bay leaf to the pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Continue to cook until peas are nearly tender, about 35 minutes. Using a potato masher or fork, mash the soup mixture to break up some of the peas and create a thicker texture. Continue cooking until the peas are very soft, about 10-15 minutes, adding more water as necessary to keep the soup from becoming too thick.
- 3
Remove the bay leaf. Add lemon juice and season the soup to taste with salt and pepper. Serve, topped with chopped fresh parsley if desired.