Pea and Ham Soup
This Pea and Ham Soup is the perfect slimming-friendly soup for those cold winter days, and great when calorie counting or following a plan like Weight Watchers.
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NutritionPer Serving
- Calories433
- Carbs9g
- Protein34g
- Fat22g
- Saturates8g
- Sugars4g
For the full list of ingredients and comprehensive instructions, please see the recipe card below. Before you scroll, there’s important stuff in the blurb!
This Pea and Ham Soup is the perfect slimming-friendly soup for those cold winter days, and great when calorie counting or following a plan like Weight Watchers.
This Pea and Ham Soup is one of our favourites, and it takes no time at all if you use an electric pressure cooker like the Instant Pot!
Don’t worry if you haven’t got one – we’ve included the stove top method and slow cooker method below. It will taste just the same, but it will take around 2.5 hours to make.
We’ve got a heap of recipes perfect to make in the pressure cooker or slow cooker – why not take a look?
What diets is this Pea and Ham Soup suitable for?
This Pea and Ham Soup recipe is suitable for dairy free diets.
It can be made gluten free as long as you swap out the following ingredients for gluten free versions:
- Stock cubes
Please make sure to double and triple check all of your ingredients if you’re cooking for people with allergies.
Do you need any special ingredients to make Pea and Ham Soup?
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We’ve used Quick Soak peas in this Pea and Ham Soup recipe, but you can use regular dried peas.
Whichever you choose, don’t forget to soak them in plenty of time, so they are ready when you need them. The Batchelors Quick Soak peas need two hours.
We’ve cooked this soup using the Instant Pot which is an electric pressure cooker and slow cooker. You can also use a normal slow cooker, or the hob! You can pick up a slow cooker at the supermarket, or you can buy either from Amazon!
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This is an Instant Pot which is a combination between an electric pressure cooker and a slow cooker.
You can pick up slow cookers in most large supermarkets, or online from Amazon.
You’ll also need a stick blender to blitz this soup up.
You could also use normal blender for this too if you prefer!
How many Calories are in this Pea and Ham Soup?
There are 433 Calories per portion in this Pea and Ham Soup, which means it falls into our Weekly Indulgence category.
To cut down the amount of calories even more, you can simply halve the portion size and serve with a healthy accompaniment.
This Pea and Ham Soup is perfect if you’re following a calorie controlled diet and fits well with any one of the major diet plans such as Weight Watchers.
As a guide, an average man needs around 2,500kcal (10,500kJ) a day to maintain a healthy body weight. For an average woman, that figure is around 2,000kcal (8,400kJ) a day. Obviously, if your goal is to lose weight then you might want to adjust these slightly! You can read more about these recommendations on the NHS website.
Stove top method
Step 1
Remove any fat from the ham and place in a large pan.
Step 2
Add the carrots, onion, celery and bay leaf.
Step 3
Cover with water, bring to the boil and simmer for approx 2 hours.
Step 4
Soak the peas. If you’re using quick soak then they will be ready when the ham is cooked. If not, then don’t forget to soak the peas overnight.
Step 5
Remove the ham and veg from the liquid, fish out the bayleaf and reserve the remaining cooking liquid.
Step 6
Wash and drain the peas and add them to a clean pan.
Step 7
Cut the cooked ham into cubes.
Step 8
If you prefer your soups chunky, add half of the diced ham and veg to the pan with the peas, then add enough of the ham cooking liquid to cover the ingredients. If you like a smooth soup, add *all* the chopped up ham and veg at this point.
Step 9
Add the stock cubes, bring up to the boil then simmer for around 20 minutes.
Step 10
Check the peas are soft, then blend the soup with a stick blender until it’s smooth.
Step 11
Leave on the heat for a few minutes until it’s heated through. If the soup is a little thick, just add a bit more water or ham stock until it reaches the desired consistency.
Instant Pot method
Step 1
Make sure you pre-soak the peas before you start. 2 hours if using Quick Soak or overnight if using regular dried peas.
Step 2
Set the Instant Pot to sauté and spray with some low calorie cooking spray.
Step 3
Brown the ham on all sides then set aside.
Step 4
Add the onion, celery and half of the sliced carrots. Sauté until the veg starts to colour.
Step 5
Return the ham to the Instant Pot and add the made up stock and the bay leaf.
Step 6
Replace the lid and set to manual for 15 minutes (natural pressure release – NPR).
Step 7
Remove the bay leaf and add the soaked peas, then cook on manual for 10 minutes (NPR).
Step 8
Add the reserved carrots and another 300ml of water.
Step 9
Set to manual for 5 minutes (NPR).
Step 10
If you like a smooth soup, you can blitz the soup using a stick blender or food processor.
Step 11
If you prefer your soup chunky, remove half of the meat and veg chunks from the soup and set aside, then blitz the soup until smooth. If it’s a little too thick, add some more water or stock until it reaches the desired consistency.
Step 12
Return the reserved chunks to the Instant Pot and stir well and set to keep warm until you’re ready to serve.
Slow cooker method
Step 1
Soak the peas according to packet instructions.
Step 2
Remove any fat from the ham and place in the slow cooker along with all the other ingredients.
Step 3
Cook on High for 6 hours.
Step 4
Once the ham is falling apart, take some of the ham out, remove the bay leaf and then blitz the soup until it reaches your desired constancy. Add the reserved ham back into the soup and serve.
What could I serve alongside this Pea and Ham Soup?
- Wholemeal bread
- Pitta bread
- Rice crackers
How do you know when this Pea and Ham Soup is cooked?
You should cook this Pea and Ham Soup until the gammon falls apart and the peas are really soft.
This should take approx 30 minutes in the pressure cooker, 6 hours in the slow cooker (high) or 2.5 hours on the hob.
You can cook the Pea and Ham Soup in the pressure cooker, slow cooker or on the hob:
Pressure cooker: 30 minutes or so (plus 2 hours to soak the peas) – see further instructions in the recipe card below.
Slow cooker: 6 hours or so (plus 2 hours to soak the peas) – see further instructions in the recipe card below.
Hob: 2.5 hours or so – see further instructions in the recipe card below.
Standard advice here in the UK is to cook food until it has reached 70°C and stayed at that temperature for 2 minutes. This is to keep your family safe.
How long can you keep this Pea and Ham Soup in the fridge?
Once you’ve put it out, ideally you should eat it within 4 hours.
If you allow any leftovers to cool, make sure to refrigerate in a container with a lid and chill. You can keep leftovers of Pea and Ham Soup in the fridge for approximately 3 days or so.
Can I freeze this Pea and Ham Soup?
Yes you can! This recipe can be frozen, but please remember to do the following;
- Freeze it as soon as it is cold enough.
- Use a container or bag that is suitable for freezing.
Don’t forget to add a label with what it is, and on what date you put it in the freezer!
How do I reheat this Pea and Ham Soup?
From chilled: Place in a microwave proof container with loosely fitting lid and heat for 4-7 minutes until piping hot.
From frozen: Allow to defrost, and heat covered in the microwave for 3-5 minutes then stir. Cook for a further 5-7 minutes until piping hot.
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Pea and Ham Soup
This Pea and Ham Soup is the perfect slimming-friendly soup for those cold winter days, and great when calorie counting or following a plan like Weight Watchers.
-
Prep Time
10 MINS
-
Cook Time
30 MINS
- KCals 433
- Carbs 9G
Instructions
Stove top method
- Remove any fat from the ham and place in a large pan.
- Add the carrots, onion, celery and bay leaf.
- Cover with water, bring to the boil and simmer for approx 2 hours.
- Soak the peas. If you're using quick soak then they will be ready when the ham is cooked. If not, then don't forget to soak the peas overnight.
- Remove the ham and veg from the liquid, fish out the bayleaf and reserve the remaining cooking liquid.
- Wash and drain the peas and add them to a clean pan.
- Cut the cooked ham into cubes.
- If you prefer your soups chunky, add half of the diced ham and veg to the pan with the peas, then add enough of the ham cooking liquid to cover the ingredients. If you like a smooth soup add *all* the chopped up ham and veg at this point
- Add the stock cubes, bring up to the boil then simmer for around 20 minutes.
- Check the peas are soft, then blend the soup with a stick blender until it's smooth.
- If you reserved some ham and veg, return it to the pan and leave on the heat for a few minutes until it's heated through. If the soup is a little thick, just add a bit more water or ham stock until it reaches the desired consistency
Instant Pot method
- Make sure you pre-soak the peas before you start. 2 hours if using Quick Soak or overnight if using regular dried peas.
- Set the Instant Pot to sauté and spray with some low calorie cooking spray.
- Brown the ham on all sides then set aside.
- Add the onion, celery and half of the sliced carrots. Sauté until the veg starts to colour.
- Return the ham to the Instant Pot and add the made up stock and the bay leaf.
- Replace the lid and set to manual for 15 minutes (natural pressure release - NPR).
- Remove the bay leaf and add the soaked peas, then cook on manual for 10 minutes (NPR).
- Add the reserved carrots and another 300ml of water.
- Set to manual for 5 minutes (NPR).
- If you like a smooth soup, you can blitz the soup using a stick blender or food processor.
- If you prefer your soup chunky, remove half of the meat and veg chunks from the soup and set aside, then blitz the soup until smooth. If it's a little too thick, add some more water or stock until it reaches the desired consistency
- Return the reserved chunks to the Instant Pot and stir well and set to keep warm until you're ready to serve.
Slow cooker method
- Soak the peas according to packet instructions.
- Remove any fat from the ham and place in the slow cooker along with all the other ingredients.
- Cook on High for 6 hours.
- Once the ham is falling apart, take some of the ham out, remove the bay leaf and then blitz the soup until it reaches your desired constancy. Add the reserved ham back into the soup and serve.
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17 comments
See what others have to say
MelissaWednesday 20th January 2021
I tried this and it was lovely! I did it in the slow cooker, I added a little bit of sweetener and put a bit of a fat free yogurt on top. Will definitely make again! Thanks for the recipe!
HollyThursday 21st January 2021
Hi Melissa, so glad to hear you enjoyed the Pea and Ham Soup!
MelissaSunday 17th January 2021
Hi!
Can I use normal garden peas instead of dried peas?
HollyMonday 18th January 2021
Hi Melissa, you can use garden peas but I would suggest adding them in towards the end of cooking as they may break down and overcook if you add them too soon. Hope that helps!
PaulineFriday 8th May 2020
What’s the serving size?
LisaTuesday 12th May 2020
Hi Pauline. If you scroll down the page on all our recipes, there is a recipe card at the end which lists ingredients and instructions and includes the number of servings. This particular recipe serves 6. Hope this helps.
Iris McaskillMonday 29th April 2019
Hi, could you substitute red lentils instead of peas please, and if so would it be the tinned and equal weight?
Thanks
Emma TThursday 20th June 2019
Hi Iris,
We’ve not tried it with red lentils. I would suggest trying it with dried if you are using the same cooking method, though it may need a little longer to cook as red lentils can take a while to become tender. Let us know how you get on!
Hope that helps!
EmmaTuesday 28th August 2018
Could you use yellow split peas instead?
LaurenTuesday 17th April 2018
I used the method of doing this in the slow cooker. I found the soup to be very thick. Is this normal? I also used smoke gammon joint, but found I couldn’t taste anything else but gammon. Should I off used unsmoked? My soup also came out a dark orange colour rather then the vibrant yellow picture on here. Is there a reason for this. I used all the ingredients that was on the recipe.
Any recommendations of what I could do next time to especially make it not as thick as didn’t really like this consistency. if I had blitzed anymore it wouldn’t of changed how thick it was. Should I next time add more liquid? Use less Gammon?
AmandaSunday 8th April 2018
Great soup! I am in the US so I had to research to find the amount of peas in the box you showed and weigh them out from my bulk jar. I added a bit of organic all-purpose seasoning. I also didn’t cook meat in the soup. I just added some chopped up, heated, sandwich sliced ham to my bowl.
NatashaFriday 5th January 2018
Can you use a soup maker and if so how would the method change? Just bought one and trying to find ideas of soups.
JoWednesday 3rd January 2018
I’m confused. The ingredients says to dissolve the stock cubes, but the recipe says to add them at a later stage? What should the ham be cooked in initially? The stock? Water? Any help will be gratefully received, thanks
MaryWednesday 27th December 2017
Can I just use left over
Cooked gammon?
LisaSaturday 21st October 2017
do I need to soak the gammon in cold water to remove any salt ?
Clare EvansThursday 5th October 2017
Would you be able to use frozen peas rather thank quick soak please?
Shauna beautymanMonday 25th September 2017
I’ve a pressure king pro. So what setting is Manuel please
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