Kittencal's Pea Soup With Ham Bone (crock Pot Or Stove Top)

Total Time: 2 hrs 15 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients

• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 -2 tablespoon minced fresh garlic (or to taste)
• 3 tablespoons oil (not olive oil)
• 1 (16 ounce) bag dried split green peas
• 1 ham bone (make certain that the bone has a fair amount of meat on it)
• 4 (14 ounce) cans chicken broth
• 3 cups water (for a very thick soup use only 2 cups water, you can always add in more water during cooking)
• salt & freshly ground black pepper (i use seasoned salt)
• 2 -3 medium carrots, peeled and finely diced
• 1 large bay leaf
• 1 cup frozen peas (optional, add in towards the end of cooking and heat through)
• 1 cup cooked rice (or to taste)
• whipping cream (optional)

Recipe

• 1 in a large dutch oven or saucepan saute the onion and garlic in oil until soft (about 5-6 minutes).
• 2 add in broth, dried split peas, water, ham bone and bay leaf; bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for about 2 hours, or until the soup thickens (add in the diced carrots the last hour of cooking).
• 3 add in pepper to taste.
• 4 remove the ham bone and bay leaf.
• 5 at this point the soup can be pureed if desired.
• 6 when the ham is cool, pull the meat from the bone and shred it into bite-size pieces, then return to the saucepan, or serve on the side.
• 7 add in rice and stir until heated through.
• 8 ladle into serving bowls, and drizzle with whipped cream if desired.