A serving of slow cooker split pea soup dished up in a bowl and topped with seasonings and small squares of ham.

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Recipes » Soups & Salads » Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup

Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup

by Liren Baker on May 18, 2023 | 9 Comments This post may contain affiliate links. Please see Affiliate Disclosure in my Terms of Service.

Split Pea Soup is the perfect comfort food when the weather is cold, and all you want to do is stay cozy indoors. Made with dried split peas, onion, leeks, carrot, celery, and fresh herbs, it gets its flavor from delicious leftover hambone. It requires hardly any effort, whether you use a slow cooker or decide to cook it on the stove.

Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup is the perfect comfort food when the weather is cold, and all you want to do is stay cozy indoors. Made with dried split peas, onion, leeks, carrot, celery, and fresh herbs, it gets its flavor from delicious leftover hambone. It requires hardly any effort, whether you use a slow cooker or decide to cook it on the stove. I’ve included instructions for both.

Two bowls of split pea soup with spoons and bread in the background.

This post, titled “Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup + a Letter to my Daughter,” first appeared on January 8, 2014. It’s since been updated with new photos and more detailed instructions. I hope you enjoy this favorite from my kitchen!

A Letter to My Daughter

Dear C,

You turned eleven today. Eleven. Old enough to have a phone, but young enough to play with your dolls. Old enough to know right from wrong, by young enough not to know what to do. You’re old enough for me to give you a longer leash but young enough for me to worry.

Old enough that teenage years are just around the corner, but young enough that I can keep you close a little longer.

It struck me this weekend that I am faced with an end. Pretty soon, you will no longer be my little girl, who still loves her dolls and imagination, who cuddles with her stuffed animal at night. One day, you won’t need me to tuck you in at night. You may not even tell me what is troubling your heart (but I hope you remember you always can).

It struck me this weekend that I want to preserve you in a box, to shield you from all hurt…to keep you innocent. It struck me this weekend that I must be there for you more than ever.

Eleven is an age that haunts me. Your Tita was eleven when our mom — your Lola — passed away. It makes me remember those years she had to grow up alone and how I could never be a substitute for that comforting hug. I want to be with you as you grow older and guide you for as long as possible. To help you become the strong woman you are meant to be.

For now, you are still my little girl. And everything I say or do matters. I can’t protect you; I can’t hold you back. But I hope you know I am always here for you if one day not on this earth, then in your heart.

Love,
Mommy

I devoted last weekend to my daughter and resolved myself to her. A renewal of vows, if you will. It was as if I had stopped at a long stoplight and had a moment to consider my destination. Sometimes, you just get stuck on the cruise control, moving forward but forgetting to pay attention along the way.