# What you need:
→ Meats
01 - 1 leftover ham bone with some meat attached
02 - 1 cup diced cooked ham
→ Vegetables
03 - 1 large diced onion
04 - 2 peeled and diced carrots
05 - 2 diced celery stalks
06 - 2 minced garlic cloves
07 - 1 bay leaf
→ Legumes
08 - 2 cups dried split peas, rinsed and sorted
→ Liquids
09 - 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth or water
→ Seasonings
10 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
11 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
12 - Salt, to taste
# How to make it:
01 - Heat a splash of oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery; cook for 5 minutes until softened.
02 - Stir in minced garlic and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Add rinsed split peas, ham bone, bay leaf, dried thyme, and black pepper. Pour in chicken broth.
04 - Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer gently for 1.5 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally until peas are tender and soup thickens.
05 - Extract ham bone and bay leaf from pot. Cool bone slightly, remove remaining meat, and return meat along with diced ham to the soup.
06 - Adjust salt and pepper according to preference.
07 - For a smoother texture, partially blend soup using an immersion blender.
08 - Ladle soup into bowls and serve hot with crusty bread.
