Name: Instant Pot Split Pea Soup
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients: 1 lb dried split peas, rinsed; 2 cups diced ham; 1 yellow onion, diced; 3 carrots, diced; 2 stalks celery, diced; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 6 cups chicken broth; 1 tsp dried thyme; 1 bay leaf; Salt and pepper to taste

The peas do the thickening

There is no cream in this soup and nothing to blend. Split peas fall apart as they cook, and that is what makes the bowl thick. You just put everything in the pot and give the peas time to do it.

The ham is doing two jobs here. It flavours the broth and it salts it, which is why the salt waits until the end. Taste first. Most batches need a pinch at most, and some need none at all.

Let this one release on its own

Split peas foam under pressure, and foam plus a fast vent is a mess nobody wants to wipe off the cabinets. So this soup gets a natural release. Let the pot sit until the float valve drops on its own, however long that takes.

Open it up, pull the bay leaf, and stir. The peas break down and the soup turns thick in front of you. Give it 10 minutes more in the pot before you serve it. It keeps thickening as it sits.

Instant Pot Split Pea Soup

The peas do the thickening

Let this one release on its own