This delicious pea and ham soup is easy to make in the Slow Cooker. A great way to use up leftover ham or you can make it with a small gammon joint.
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Recipe originally posted in December 2016, updated November 2021
I have to confess that I was never a big fan of pea and ham soup until I made my own, as a way to use up my Slow Cooker gammon leftovers.
OMG what a revelation! This simple pea and ham soup packs so much flavour into only a handful of ingredients.
It also uses the cooking stock from the gammon recipe and any of the leftover ham – I love it when nothing goes to waste!
For a velvety smooth pea soup you MUST blitz the soup in a blender. Using an immersion blender works but only if you like a slightly chunky soup.
Serve with Sourdough Focaccia or my easy Two Hour No Knead Bread!
SLOW COOKER PEA AND HAM SOUP WITH LEFTOVER HAM
Making this soup in your crockpot is super easy and fuss free. You simply cook the leftover ham together with shallots and spring onions in the ham stock until the ham is tender. Remove from the slow cooker and shred.
You then add the peas and cook until they are cooked through and blend the soup until it is smooth. Serve the soup with the ham and garnish with mint leaves. Easy peasy, right?
MAKING PEA AND HAM SOUP WITH A GAMMON JOINT
If you don’t have any leftover ham then you can cook it now and then add the peas. It takes a bit longer but the process is the same.
I usually don’t bother pre-soaking the gammon, but if you are worried you can soak it for a couple of hours, changing the water every 30 minutes.
HAVE YOU MADE MY SLOW COOKER PEA AND HAM SOUP RECIPE? Post a photo on my Facebook page, share it on Instagram, or save it to Pinterest with the tag #supergoldenbakes. I can’t wait to see your take on it!
LOVE YOUR LEFTOVERS!
Holiday recipes can land you with a boatload of leftovers. Use them up in these delicious recipes!
Slow Cooker Pea and Ham Soup
Ingredients
Using leftover ham
- 450 g (1 pound) cooked ham
- 720 (3 cups) reserved ham stock
- 3 shallots or 1 onion peeled and roughly chopped
- bunch spring onions , diced
- 900 g ( 2 pounds) frozen peas or petit pois
- fresh mint leaves , to serve
- salt and pepper to season
Using a gammon joint
- 450 g (1 pound) boneless gammon joint unsmoked or smoked
- 1 onion roughly chopped
- 1 carrot roughly chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 tsp whole cloves
- 480 ml (2 cups) apple juice or water
- 300 ml (1 ¼ cups) ginger ale, cider or water
- 900 g ( 2 pounds) frozen peas or petit pois
- fresh mint leaves , to serve
- salt and pepper to season
Instructions
Using Leftover Ham
- Put the stock, ham, shallots and spring onions in your slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 2 hours.
- Remove the ham from the slow cooker and shred using two forks.
- Add the frozen peas to the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 30 minutes to an hour, or until the peas are cooked through.
- Blend the soup using a blender or an immersion blender. If the soup is too thick then dilute it by adding some extra stock or water.
- Stir most of the ham back into the blended soup, reserving some for garnishing.
- Check the seasoning and serve the soup garnished with ham and mint leaves.
Using a gammon joint
- Place the gammon in the slow cooker and position the carrots and onions around it. Add the bay leaves, cinnamon, cloves, and peppercorns. Pour in the liquids, cover and cook for 4 hours on the HIGH setting.
- Remove the ham from the slow cooker and shred as soon as it is cool enough to handle. Strain the cooking liquid and discard the vegetables and aromatics apart from the onion (you will use this in the soup).
- Have a taste of the ham stock. If it is too salty you can use half stock and half water in your soup. Pour the ham stock back into the slow cooker. Add the reserved onion and the peas and cook on HIGH setting for 30 minutes or until the peas are cooked through.
- Blend the soup using a blender or an immersion blender. If the soup is too thick then dilute it by adding some extra stock or water.
- Stir in most of the ham, reserving some to garnish the soup with.
- Check the seasoning and serve the soup garnished with ham and mint leaves.
Fred Brookes says
new to slow cooking, I never imagined one could cook a whole piece of gammon. I followed your recipe and it turned out a treat! Many thanks. Tomorrow I will try Thea and ham soup with the leftovers.
Fred Brookes says
Should say ‘pea and ham soup’ . . .