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A bowl of lentils soup with ham.
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Lentils Soup with Ham

This lentils soup with ham is a family favorite. I cook it anytime we bake spiral ham because the ham leftovers give the soup amazing flavor.
Course Main Course, Soup
Cuisine American
Keyword ham lentils soup, lentils soup with ham
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Soaking time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings 6 servings
Calories 470kcal
Author Sonila

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

Calories: 470kcal | Carbohydrates: 68g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 1700mg | Potassium: 1394mg | Fiber: 28g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 4677IU | Vitamin C: 45mg | Calcium: 109mg | Iron: 9mg