I make this every Thanks­giv­ing from the left­over ham bone. I cook for quite a crowd – two turkeys and two hams because we love lots of left­overs! This is way to make your hol­i­day ham really stretch, and makes the day after Thanks­giv­ing spe­cial. If you don’t have your own ham bone, go buy a ham hock at your local grocery.

Prep time: 20 min­utes
Total time: 2 hours
Yield 16 cups (4 quarts)

ham bone with plenty of ham attached or ham hock
2–3 big slices of left­over ham
1 T grape­seed or veg­etable oil
1 1/2 onions, chopped
2 car­rots, chopped
2 1/4 pounds dried green split peas
4 1/2 quarts water plus addi­tional if soup gets too thick
2 T bacon drip­pings (save your drip­pings from your morn­ing bacon)
3 tsp. salt, divided
grind­ing of fresh pep­per
2 bay leaves

1. In a large heavy bot­tomed stock pot, saute onions in oil and bacon drip­ping over medium heat until translu­cent, 5–7 minutes.
2. Add all remain­ing ingre­di­ents (reserv­ing 1/2 tsp. salt) and bring to a boil. Reduce and sim­mer for 1 1/2 hours.
3. When peas are soft and smooshy, remove ham bone and cut all meat off of bone, chop and return to stock pot.
4. Finely chop 2–3 slices of left­over ham and drop into soup.
5. Add remain­ing salt and pep­per and taste for sea­son­ing; adjust as nec­es­sary. Serve with chopped ham atop.