Split Pea and Ham Soup

This is one of my hubby's absolute favorite. Every time I make a ham I save the bone and a little of the extra ham, and whip this up a few days later. Really good and hearty soup, perfect for this cold weather coming in. I actually used the recipe off of the split pea bag but adjusted it a bit, still pretty straight forward.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 16 oz bag of split peas (2 cups)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped carrots
• 1/2 cup diced potatoes
• 1/2 cup chopped ham
• 1 ham bone
• 2 quarts of water
• 1/4 teaspoon thyme

Wash peas through a colander, and sort through any shells or bad looking ones. Add cleaned peas to a pot and add the water. Bring to a boil. Let simmer for 2 minutes, remove from heat and cover pot. Let sit for an hour.

Add ham bone, bay leaf, thyme and Veggies. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer covered for about 2-3 hours, until the peas are soft. Remove bone and cut the ham off (discard bone), add the bone ham and reserved ham (if any) back into soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

We ate our soup with some yummy grilled cheese sandwiches. Perfect fall meal. Cheers!