"This a very good basic recipe for split pea soup. It will come out great if made exactly as directed but I see no harm in a few tweaks. I didn't have any ham so I substituted two big smoked turkey legs. I made this for my family and guests and got rave reviews. I added a one pound bag of frozen peas for the last 20 minutes of cooking. Between the pop of the fresh peas and the croutons this gave it a great texture than split pea soup is usually missing and everyone loved it. I will defitely make this again.