Description
This traditional Swedish Yellow Pea Soup is a comforting and hearty dish made with dried yellow peas, vegetables, and ham. Slow-simmered to develop rich flavors, it’s perfect for warming up on a chilly day. Served with a dollop of mustard and garnished with fresh parsley, this soup offers a delicious taste of Swedish home cooking.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 2 cups dried yellow peas, rinsed and sorted
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 ham bone or 2 cups cooked ham, diced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 8 cups water or chicken broth
- Salt to taste
For Serving and Garnish
- 1 tablespoon mustard (for serving)
- Fresh parsley, chopped (optional, for garnish)
Instructions
- Prepare the peas and vegetables: Rinse and sort the yellow peas carefully to remove any debris. In a large pot, combine the peas with water or chicken broth, chopped onion, diced carrots, chopped celery, ham bone or diced ham, bay leaf, dried thyme, and black pepper.
- Simmer the soup: Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and cover the pot. Let the soup simmer gently for 1.5 to 2 hours until the peas are tender and have mostly broken down, thickening the soup.
- Remove and shred ham (if using ham bone): Take out the ham bone from the soup when the peas are cooked through. Remove any meat from the bone, shred it finely, and return it to the soup. If you used diced ham, simply stir it in after the soup has finished cooking.
- Season and finish: Discard the bay leaf. Taste the soup and add salt as needed to enhance the flavors.
- Serve: Ladle the soup into bowls. Add a tablespoon of mustard on top of each serving and garnish with freshly chopped parsley if desired. Optionally, serve with thin Swedish pancakes on the side for a traditional accompaniment.
Notes
- Be sure to rinse and sort the peas thoroughly to avoid grit in the soup.
- Using a ham bone from a cooked ham adds depth of flavor, but diced cooked ham works well too.
- The soup thickens as it cooks; add a bit more broth or water if you prefer a thinner consistency.
- Mustard is a traditional topping and adds a nice tang to the soup.
- Leftover soup can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
