This classic lentil soup with ham is so tasty and simple to prepare! Keep it simple, or add a ham bone for a heartier flavor. Potatoes, spinach, sausage, and more are optional extras!
Lentil Soup with Ham
Guys, Even I can't claim ownership of this. This is my mother's recipe for lentil soup. (Mom makes the best recipes; that much is true.)
Although both are optional, I prefer to make this with a large, meaty ham bone and homemade chicken stock. Technically, you don’t even need the ham, but it adds a lot of delicious flavor.
This dish can be prepared in just 55 minutes, or it can be simmered all afternoon with a ham bone. (Read on to learn why you should wait to add the lentils until the proper moment.)
Lentil Soup with a Ham Bone
Ham bones give soup broths a rich, flavorful boost. If you have one, use it as directed by these guidelines:
- Make use of an unwashed ham bone. After the soup has finished cooking, remove the bone from it, shred the tender pink meat from it, and add it to the soup.
- 3 cups of chicken broth, 1 cup of beef broth, and 3 cups of water should be used.
- Everything but the lentils should be added to the pot. The vegetables don't need to be first softened. The ham bone fat cooks or softens them as they float to the top of the soup.
- Rapidly bring to a boil before lowering the heat to a simmer.
- Simmer for at least two to three hours. Your soup will have more flavor the longer it simmers.
- During the final 45 minutes of cooking, add the lentils.
- Serve the ham after removing the ham bone.
Ham Bone Substitutes
Picnic Shoulder with bone or smoked ham shank
The substitutions listed below work well, but I advise using just one cup of water rather than three.
- Hickory ham.
- You could also use chopped smoked bacon, chopped salted pork, or both.
Can You Overcook Lentils?
Yes, overcooking lentils will result in mushy lentils.
They will also become mushy if you cook them at a high boil. Simmer them slowly to keep them intact.
What to Add to Lentil Soup
- Diced Potatoes
- Cooked Sausage
- Spinach or Kale
- Cooked & Crumbled Bacon
- Diced Tomatoes
- Parmesan Cheese-To Garnish
Lentil Soup with Ham
Ingredients
- 1 large onion
- 1 cup carrots
- ½ cup celery
- 1 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoons garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ cup diced ham
- 1 cup Lentils
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups beef broth
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme, or 2 sprigs fresh
Instructions
Lentil Soup with no Ham Bone
- Heat the butter and the olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the vegetables and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add the ham and tomato paste. Cook for additional 10 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add broth, lentils, and thyme and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, covered, for about 45 minutes. Serve!
Lentil Soup with a Ham Bone
- Note: Use an uncleaned ham bone. When you remove the bone from the soup at the end of cooking, use two forks to shred the meat from it and add it to the soup.
- Use 3 cups chicken broth, 1 cup beef broth, and 3 cups water.
- Add everything to the pot except for the lentils. No need to soften the vegetables first. They float to the surface of the soup and cook/soften in the fat from the ham bone
- Bring to a rapid boil, then decrease to a simmer.
- Simmer for as long as you can, at least 2-3 hours. The longer, the more flavorful your soup will be.
- Add the lentils during the last 45 minutes of cooking and simmer gently.
- Remove the ham bone, add in the ham, and serve.
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