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Why You’ll Love My Recipe
Full of beef instead of ham, this twist on a classic split pea soup is the perfect hot meal for a chilly winter day. Serve it with some fresh bread or warm biscuits to really round it out.
This soup is easy to make whichever method you chose. You can also try adding cooked ground beef to this Instant Pot Split Pea Soup. And why not make some Bisquick Biscuits or Buttermilk Biscuits to serve on the side?
Reader Review
Well the results are in, OMG, another winner for sure! I needed to adjust the salt a little bit and add just a pinch of cornstarch to thicken the soup. But the aroma has been filling the whole house today. Everything I threw in worked. It’s meaty, split green pea creamy soup, with the carrots and potatoes. Can’t find any of the onion or garlic. Five Star all the way.
Karlynn’s Recipe Notes
- Skill Level: This is a very easy recipe to make.
- Total Time: This soup can be made in as little as 65 minutes or be left to cook slowly for several hours, depending on your needs.
- Variations: Try using a variety of split peas for this soup. Use ground pork and shallots instead of ground beef and onion to boost up the savoury flavours. Add some sage, winter savory, or summer savory. Add more carrots, skip the potatoes or use a different variety, add something spicy or crisp up some bacon to crumble on top.
- Tools Needed: For this recipe, you’ll need a sharp knife, a cutting board, a large frying pan, a slow cooker or a large pot with a lid.
What You’ll Need For Ingredients
Split Peas: This recipe calls for green split peas, but you can use any colour. You can also use green , brown, or yellow lentils if you’re planning to use the slow cooker and have lots of cooking time. Red lentils are a great addition if you have less time, and they break down beautifully.
Ground Meat: Lean ground beef is what this recipe asks for, but you can use any ground meat you’ve got at home. The richness of ground pork would be lovely in this soup, and something blander like ground chicken or ground turkey would benefit from all of the other flavours.
Broth: This recipe uses chicken broth, but you can use pork broth or beef broth or even some homemade bone broth if you’d like.
How To Make Creamy Split Pea Hamburger Soup
This is a brief overview of the recipe. The full list of ingredients and step-by-step instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Slow Cooker Method: In a medium frying pan over medium heat, cook the ground beef and onions. Drain excess grease and return pan to heat.
- Add garlic and saute for 2 minutes. Put meat, onion, and garlic mixture into your slow cooker. Mix in remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-6 hours.
- Stir to evenly distribute the ingredients before serving.
- Instant Pot Method: Use the saute setting of your Instant Pot to cook the beef and onions. Drain grease, add garlic, saute for 2 minutes.
- Add remaining ingredients. Switch to soup setting and select 45 minutes. Seal lid. Be sure to let Instant Pot release pressure once it’s done cooking.
- Stir to evenly distribute ingredients before serving.
Karlynn’s Tips and Tricks For Making Creamy Split Pea Hamburger Soup
Stovetop Method: If you don’t have a slow cooker or Instant pot, or if you just prefer to cook on the stove, this soup can still be for you. You can cook your ground beef and onions in a separate pan, like in the slow cooker method, or cook them right in the pot you’ll be using. Either way, drain the grease and add your garlic just like in the above methods. You’ll need to pay closer attention to your soup this way. Make sure to stir regularly and keep the heat at a low simmer.
Other Seasonings: The herbs listed in this recipe are a lovely base for nearly all soups. If you’d like to experiment with expanding that flavour profile, try some fresh or dried sage, winter savory, or summer savory. You could use a poultry seasoning mixture of fresh herbs if your grocery store has some available. You may also enjoy adding a bit of heat with some cayenne powder or a dash of your favourite hot sauce.
Storage Instructions
Fridge: Store this soup, fully cooled, in a sealed container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat in a pot on the stove or microwave a bowlful.
Freezer: Once this soup is fully cooled, store it in a sealed container in your freezer for 2-3 months. Better yet, store it in individual portions so you can take them out and reheat easily for a hot meal. Silicone molds with lids work well for this.
More Delicious Soup Recipes
Looking for more tasty soup recipes?
Try this Simple Classic Hamburger Soup or a Hamburger Soup With Macaroni.
Make some Vegan Curried Split Pea Soup with Homemade Garlic Croutons for something a bit different.
Or get brave and try this Spicy Bean & Lentil Soup.
There you go, folks. Another simple soup recipe that can be made in your slow cooker or on the stove. Try it out and let me know what you think.
Happy Cooking!
Karlynn
Split Pea Hamburger Soup
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 medium white onion, diced
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic,
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 4 medium russet potatoes, peeled and diced
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 cup dry green split peas, rinsed and cleaned
- ½ teaspoon rosemary
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- 2 large bay leaves
Instructions
Slow Cooker Instructions
- In a medium frying pan, fry up the ground beef and onions until translucent. Once done, drain the grease then return to the heat. Add the garlic and saute for another 2 minutes. Once done, place in the bottom of your slow cooker.
- Mix in the remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-6.
- Stir the soup to disperse the peas evenly throughout the soup and serve.
Instant Pot Instructions
- Press the saute button on your Instant Pot and place the ground beef and onions inside. Proceed to fry up the ground beef and onions until translucent. Once done, drain the grease then return to the Instant Pot. Add the garlic and saute for another 2 minutes.
- Mix in the remaining ingredients.
- To pressure cook, press the soup button and choose 45 minutes. Turn the top knob to “sealing” and let it pressure cook.
- When done let the Instant Pot naturally release pressure and wait until it's done to take off the lid. The extra cooking time will not matter or affect the end result.
- Stir the soup to mix the peas throughout and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Karen says
Could I add 1/2 cup of diced ham? I’m a stickler for traditional ham and pea soup. I’ll also add some heavy cream. I cannot wait to cook and eat this soup.
Karlynn says
I don’t see why not! Let me know how it is!
Erika P says
I made the soup just as suggested put in 8 cups of broth cooked it for 10 hours did not come out creamy. It’s still liquidy. it is very good, but I think next time I’m only gonna put in 6 cups of broth.First time making this soup
Erika P says
I made the soup just the suggested put in 8 cups of broth cooked it for 10 hours did not come out creamy. It’s still liquidy. it is very good, but I think next time I’m only gonna put in 6 cups of broth
Derek says
Making this tonight!
Minerva Baba says
May I ask, can this soup be made on the stove top as well?
JDrake says
I threw everything but the sink in today. 1 c dry split peas, 5 med carrots diced, some celery diced, about 5 sm to med golden potatoes cubed, vegetable broth I had left over from another meal, Sea Salt, Fresh ground pepper, Italian seasoning, bay leaf, I had some fresh parsley I minced some of that up about a handful ( I mean why not?), 1 1/2 pounds of hamburger, left over grease from the burger I sauteed Onions and garlic till just before caramelizing. Put it all in my slow cooker for dinner tonight. It should be cooking for a good 6-8 hrs. I will leave it on high for about 4 hr. then low. If there is any left I will add another comment… 🙂
JDrake says
Well the results are in, OMG, another winner for sure! I needed to adjust the salt a little bit and add just a pinch of cornstarch to thicken the soup. But the aroma has been filling the whole house today. Everything I threw in worked. It’s meaty, split green pea creamy soup, with the carrots and potatoes. Can’t find any of the onion or garlic. Five Star all the way.
Margy says
Could you please send directions for stove top cooking?
Rose Simonian-Hairapetian says
Can I use yellow split peas instead of green for this recipe
Karlynn says
You can use yellow peas in this, they just have a slightly milder taste than the green.
Joy Townsends says
Are those split peas soak or just put in the pot from the bag. Ive tried other recipes that didn’t come out like they show and l follow the recipe.
Karlynn says
Dry straight from the bag! If they don’t turn out, it’s because they need more cooking time to fall apart.
MaryB says
Split pea soup is one of my favorites. I’ll have to try this version. Sounds delicious!