Split Pea Soup Atu

"Thanks to the reviewers, I started off by cutting the water in half. Was glad I did since we prefer hearty soups. Highly suggest smoked ham hocks. Other additions include an extra pound of smoked ham,..." See more 3 stalks celery, 3 carrots, garlic powder, fresh parsley, thyme, marjoram, and sage. Thank you so much for this recipe! I have finally outperformed the legendary mother-in-law. Update: Freezing works on this soup, but I've recently decided I prefer halving the recipe so we can eat all of it fresh!"

"This is a fabulous recipe made even better by taking tips from a few of the reviewers who've already posted. Nice color, nice balance of flavors, very homey and comforting! I served this with some g..." See morereat crusty rolls and a nice green salad, and it was a HUGE hit even with my finicky teens. Here's what I did to "doctor" it up: First, I cut back by half on the water. Second, I added about a Tbsp or so each of fresh sage, thyme and parsley (toward the end of cooking) and maybe half that amount of dried marjoram (because I couldn't find any fresh). Third, instead of ham hocks which my family doesn't like (or need :-)), I bought some wonderful smoky ham at the deli counter, cubed it up and added about 1/2 lb of it right at the beginning of cooking, then used the remainder to garnish. I did add one chicken bouillon cube but used low sodium chicken broth and added no additional salt, and it came out nicely. Last, I added some nice-sized chunks of carrots and celery, and cut my potatoes into larger chunks too, to give the soup a more hearty flavor and appearance. One last tip -- This recipe makes a very large batch of soup, and I knew we would tire of it before it was eaten. So I froze half of it at the stage AFTER pureeing but BEFORE adding any milk. We'll enjoy it again one wintry evening!"

"Good recipe. Have made several versions with bacon, hamhocks, and ham bones. I prefer using smoked hamhocks and I always add some small diced boiled potato, carrots and about a cup and a half of cooke..." See mored ham slice to the pot after I cream it. Makes it a little heartier and serve it with garlic bread and a salad. Very nice."