Ham and Split Pea Soup

Ease: 3/5     Kid-friendliness: 4/5     Taste: 4/5     Time: 2/5

Prep: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour, 15 minutes

As I was endlessly chopping up the vegetables for this soup (which takes extra long these days as I have to chop them extra fine so that my eleven month old can eat them too), I couldn't help thinking that I really don't like making soup. But after I enjoyed this hearty soup's flavor and packed away enough left-overs for lunch plus some for the freezer, I remembered why I do.

This recipe makes a nice thick gravy-like soup that is a little less messy for kids to eat.

What you'll need:

• 10 C chicken broth
• 2 medium yellow onions, finely chopped
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 C diced red bell pepper
• 2 large carrots, shredded
• 1 large celery stalk, thinly sliced, with tops
• 1 lb dried green split peas, rinsed and drained
• 3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 lb lean thick-sliced smoked ham, cut into small pieces
• 1 large bay leaf
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• slat and freshly ground pepper to taste

Place 1 C of the broth in a large soup pot, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. 

Reduce heat to medium and add the onions, garlic, bell pepper, carrot, and celery. Cook uncovered ~15 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. 

Gradually stir in the remaining 9 cups of broth. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat just to a gentle simmer, and add the split peas, potatoes, ham and seasonings, stirring to mix. 

Partially cover the pot, and continue to simmer for 1 hour, or until the peas are very soft and the soup is quite thick. Stir often to keep the soup from sticking to the pot (I didn't stir it often enough, and was left with a difficult pot to wash!). 

Remove the pot from the heat. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Stir and serve. Makes 8 servings. 

Adapted from Karen Bellerson's Ham and Split Pea soup recipe in Low Fat, No Fat Cooking 

Chicken Vegetable Soup

Ease: 3/5     Taste: 5/5     Kid-friendliness: 4/5     Time: 2/5


Family: 0; Nasty Cold: 4
Don't hide away the soup recipes just yet...

For me, nothing says Spring like the arrival of a bad cold. And one has hit our household. I find soups to be a little high maintenance in terms of prep work, but they are sometimes worth it. They are a way to get vegetables into your children (admittedly, I often have to bribe my daughter with a grill cheese sandwich), you can make a ton and they usually freeze quite well. Which means the next time you catch a cold, you'll have some great homemade soup on hand to perk you up and give you a deserved night off in the kitchen.


Mine looks a lot more minced up than yours probably would. That's because I chopped the vegetables really fine so that my poor snotty nine month old could eat it too.


What you'll need:

• 8 C chicken broth (or stock if you've recently made a roast chicken and made stock from it)
• 1 pound cooked chicken breast, cut into bite-sized chunks; if you haven't recently made a roast chicken, Lillydale does make packaged cooked chicken breast chunks now. Super convenient! Great for sandwiches too. 
• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 2 medium stalks celery, coarsely chopped (include tops)
• 4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into bite sized cubes
• 2 large carrots, sliced
• 1 tsp poultry seasoning
• 1 tsp crushed dried thyme
• 2 tsp crushed dried basil
• 1 large bay leaf
• 8 black peppercorns
• onion salt to taste
• 1 1/2 C frozen peas

Place the broth in a large soup pot, and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute, and reduce heat to medium. 

Add the chicken, onions, garlic, and celery to the pot and stir to mix. Cover and simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes.

Stir in the potatoes, carrots, and seasonings. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

Stir in the peas, cover, and simmer for 15-30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. 

Remove and discard the bay leaf. Serve and enjoy!


Recipe inspired by "Turkey Vegetable Soup" in Karen Bellerson's Low Fat, No Fat Cooking