This Lentils Soup with Ham makes for a rich, nutritious soup full of flavor. I try to make this soup anytime I bake spiral ham because ham leftovers and the bone give this soup such a great taste. Unlike my Mediterranean Lentils Soup which is vegan and not too condimented, this Lentils Soup with Ham not only has ham but also so many herbs and seasonings:).
Soup Adaptations
I cook this soup on the stovetop with a simple pot soup. You can follow same instructions for a Dutch Oven, adjust slightly for timing but not much.
Pressure cooker – if you would like to make this soup in the pressure cooker, follow the step in the recipe card until you have all ingredients and water mixed together. Set pressure cooker on high and cook for 15-20 minutes, then let the cooker depressurize naturally (natural release).
Slow cooker – if you would like to make this soup in the slow cooker, follow the recipe steps until everything is incorporated then cook on low for about 6 hours.
Lentils Soup Ingredients
This soup is budget friendly and very customizable, which makes it a winner in my recipe book.
- Lentils – I use dry lentils, they’re a great pantry food.
- Carrots – Use 1-2 large carrots.
- Celery – about 2 celery stalks.
- Green pepper – I use 1 green bell peppers, you can use red as well.
- Ham – 2 cups diced ham and ham bone, leftovers from spiral ham.
- Onion – 1 large white onion.
- Tomatoes – about 3 fresh tomatoes, diced.
- Parsley – 1 bunch
- Potatoes – 1 large or 2 medium size potatoes. Cut them in big chunks.
- Olive oil – extra virgin
- Seasonings – I love to go heavy in condiments on this soup, so you add more or less to your taste. I use smoked paprika, turmeric, cumin, parsley, oregano, salt, pepper, mint, bay leaves etc. If you don’t have some of the herbs, add Italian Seasoning which is a blend of some of the dry seasonings I used.
Cooking Process
I follow few simple steps to cook this soup in the stovetop, you can use either a soup pot or a Dutch Oven.
- Saute veggies (onions, celery, carrots, pepper)
- Add ham & lentils
- Add tomatoes and potatoes
- Add water
- Add seasonings
- Cover and cook for about 45 minutes in medium-low (once it has come to a boil)
Tips & Additional Notes
I like to soak the lentils a little bit, even if it’s just half an hour before cooking. Inspect them for impurities and dump them in a bowl of water. Later on rinse and cook following the instructions below.
You can make the soup with just diced ham if you don’t have the bone and leftovers from spiral ham. You can also make this lentils soup with pancetta (see a similar soup with Black Eyed peas and Pancetta).
Soup makes 6 full servings, but for my family of 4 it’s 8 servings because the kids eat smaller portions. So this is perfect for us!
Leftovers of the soup store really well in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Actually, the soup tastes better next day! If soup has gotten too thick, as you warm it up you can add few tablespoons of water to make it more soup like consistency.
Lentils Soup with Ham
Equipment
- 1 soup pot
- 1 Stovetop
- 1 Wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 16 ozs dry lentils
- 1 white onion
- 2 carrots
- 2 celery stalks
- 1 green bell pepper
- 3 tomatoes
- 2 potatoes
- 3 tbsps olive oil extra virgin
- 2 cups diced ham
- 1 spiral ham bone
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp turmeric
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1 tbsp oregano
- 1 tbsp mint
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 bunch fresh parsley
- 5 cups water
- 0.5 tbsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp sea salt adjust to taste, qty might vary because of ham
- red wine vinegar optional for garnishing
Instructions
- Inspect lentils for impurities, rinse then add them to a bowl of water to soak.
- Dice onion, carrots, celery, bell pepper and tomatoes. Peel potatoes and place them in a bowl of water so they don't brown. Chop parsley and set it aside, divide few tbsps of parsley on the side for garnishing later.
- Place a soup pot over the stovetop, set heat in medium. Meanwhile, fill an electric kettle with water and set it to boil.
- Add olive oil to soup pot, then once oil is heating up add onions. Saute slowly and mix with a wooden spoon.
- Add carrots, celery and bell pepper once onion is translucent. Saute all veggies together.
- Add diced ham, ham bone and lentils. Mix thoroughly so veggies don't stick to the bottom of the pot. Add diced tomatoes. At this point, cut potatoes in big chunks and add them in.
- Add 5 cups of hot or boiling water to the soup pot. Then add all the seasonings in (smoked paprika, turmeric, bay leaves, cumin, oregano, parsley, mint etc). Mix well and once soup boils, lower the heat a bit and cover the pot.
- When there are about 10 minutes left from the cooking time, then add salt and black pepper to soup pot while tasting for flavor. Finish cooking, check that lentils are thoroughly cooked. Sometimes you might need to let cook few additional minutes.
- Remove ham bone once soup is done cooking. Serve in soup bowl, garnish with fresh parsley and add red wine vinegar for more flavor to the bowl. Enjoy:))).
Notes
- Pressure cooker – let cook for about 15-20 minutes then natural release.
- Slow cooker – let cook for about 6 hours on low.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Soup can yield more than 6 servings, depending on how big you make your servings. For my family of 4 we usually get 8 servings of this soup, so 2 full meals.
- Serve soup with favorite rice as side or baguette.
Nutrition Label
Nutrition
Yes, you can. Actually several counties don’t use root vegetables in their soups for New Years eve, so you can make the soup without these 2 veggies. Lower the amount of water and let the soup cook on low so it becomes creamy and thicker (potatoes normally help with that).
Of course you can! Don’t add ham and the ham bone, adjust slightly by increasing the veggies or lowering the amount of water to achieve great consistency and you have a great vegan soup! Enjoy:)
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It’s All About Soup!!
If you like soups, I have more recipes for you:)). Feel free to check them out!
- Chicken, Rice and Lemon Soup
- Bolivian Peanut Soup
- Split peas soup with spinach
- Chicken Pastina Soup
- Pinto beans soup
And so many more. You can just type soup in the search bar in my site to see the rest. Thank you again for reading my recipes!
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