Instant Pot Split Pea Soup

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter ((or a combination of both))
• 1 medium onion (finely chopped)
• 3 medium carrots (peeled and diced)
• 2 stalks celery (ribs, diced)
• 4 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 4 fresh thyme sprigs or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 ham bone (smoked ham hock or ham shank)
• 2 cups diced ham (cut from the ham bone or store bought)
• 1 pound dried split green peas rinsed and picked over
• 6 cups low sodium chicken stock or vegetable broth
• 2 dried bay leaves
• Fresh lemon juice (about 1 tablespoon)
• Fresh thyme or chopped parsley
• Grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. 1

   --- Pre-soaking is not necessary when making split pea soup. ---

2. 2

   Turn a 6 or 8 quart Instant pot / pressure cooker to the sauté setting. Heat the oil and/or melt butter and stir in the onions, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally until the onions become translucent and veggies start to soften, about 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic, dried oregano and black pepper and saute for about 30 seconds.

3. 3

   Add the ham bone (if using),the cooked diced ham, add the split peas, low-sodium stock or broth and the bay leaves. Close and seal the pot and cook on HIGH pressure for 15 minutes. After the cooking cycle is done, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes. Open the valve to release the remaining pressure. Unseal and open the pot.

4. 4

   Remove and discard the bay leaves. If using a ham bone or ham hock, transfer it to a bowl and cut off any bits of meat you want to use in the soup. Discard the bone and add the meat bits back to the soup.

5. 5

   Stir in the lemon juice and season to taste with salt and ground black pepper. Serve immediately garnished with fresh parsley and Parmesan cheese.

6. 6

   --- Optional ---

7. 7

   Blend some of the soup to make it thicker and creamier. Using an immersion blender is ideal as you can just blend enough to make the soup thicker and creamier.