Cook the lentils with herbs and sautéed veggies in a lovely ham broth before adding the lentils. The pressure cooker shortens the cooking process while retaining the flavors of all the ingredients.
| Prep Time: | 15 mins |
| Cook Time: | 45 mins |
| Total Time: | 1 hr |
| Servings: | 8 |
| Yield: | 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds smoked ham shanks
- 10 cups water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 3 carrots, thinly sliced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed
- 2 cups lentils
- 1 ¼ teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
- ground black pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon vinegar, or more to taste
Instructions
- Place ham shanks and water in pressure cooker over medium heat. Cover and lock; bring to 15 pounds of pressure, reduce heat to low, and cook for 20 minutes. Release pressure immediately using method recommended by the manufacturer. Remove cooked ham shanks with a slotted spoon; transfer to a bowl to cool. Separate meat from bone. Transfer ham broth to a separate bowl for later use.
- Heat olive oil in the pressure cooker over medium heat; cook and stir onion, carrots, celery, and garlic until tender and reduced, about 20 minutes. Add lentils, 8 cups ham broth, thyme, and bay leaf; cover and lock. Bring pressure up to 15 pounds for 6 minutes; immediately release pressure.
- Stir tomatoes, ham, black pepper, and vinegar into soup over low heat until heated through.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 306 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 36 g |
| Cholesterol | 46 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 16 g |
| Protein | 31 g |
| Saturated Fat | 1 g |
| Sodium | 658 mg |
| Sugars | 5 g |
| Fat | 5 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
My partner wanted split pea and I wanted lentil, so we compromised and made this recipe with half of each. It was delicious! I’ve always loved both split pea soup and lentil soup, but I think this is better than either! Also, I used pearl onions instead of chopped, which worked fine.
I was soooo in the mood for something like this! I had to make a few adjustments since we’re on lockdown and I don’t have ham shanks. I found a random pork chop in my freezer so I chopped that up and used that along with one slice of chopped bacon to give it the smoky flavor. I skipped putting that under pressure because I used chicken stock instead. After Browning the chop and bacon, I removed the meat from the pot and browned the veggies together. I added the meat back in, added chicken stock and the remainder of the ingredients. I put it under pressure for 6 minutes with a MPR but it wasn’t done so I put it under for an additional 6 minutes. It was perfect after that. Added the tomatoes and vinegar (I used extra vinegar) and served it with crusty bread. So good on a cold rainy day stuck in the house!
I soaked my lentils which allowed them to cook perfectly in 6 minutes. I think next time I would make the broth ahead of time so it could cool and i could skim the fat. Otherwise delicious!!
We are vegan , so I followed the recipe using vegetable broth and leaving out the ham. I had no thyme or cilantro so I used 1/2 tsp of Italian seasoning and 1/2 tsp of Emeril’s BAM! Original Essence. The soup is a keeper! We loved it. I served it with cornbread. Delightful on a cold night.
Great Flavor, Much Thicker Than Expected. Not a clear soup… a lot like a lentil version of a thick pea soup.
Great Flavor, Much Thicker Than Expected. Not a clear soup… a lot like a lentil version of a thick pea soup.
This ham, lentil soup is absolutely excellent and was the recipe I chose to prepare in my new Fagor pressure cooker from my love. I’ve never used a pressure cooker before and the soup was full bodied and flavorful. We like highly seasoned food and didn’t think the ingredients would impart much flavor but this was perfect. Leftover ham and shank from the brown wrappered Smithfield Brown Sugar Spiral from BJs was used and the directions were followed exactly except for 3 more cloves of garlic and our choice of red lentils. Can’t wait to share a bowl of this soup with my mom, Jean, who no longer cooks because she’s in an Assisted Living facility (and was an excellent cook – my very own Julia Childs). Enjoy everyone, you won’t be disappointed.
Delicious! And quite easy to prepare. Such a hearty and healthy dish!
First meal in my new pressure cooker. I was very nervous…intimidated would be more appropriate. I only put in to ham hocks and needed to cook them an extra 3 minutes. Next time I will put in 3. Also, I needed to cook the lentils for 3 more minutes as they weren’t quite done. While mine didn’t look like the picture (mine looked a little more mushy), it was fantastic! My pressure cooker has a saute setting however I think next time I will saute in pan while the ham hocks are cooking. Because it was my first time and I had to add more cooking time, it took forever as it takes 10-15 minutes to build up the pressure again. That was a bummer. I supposed once you get use to it things will go more smoothly. The flavor really was amazing!
this recipes is wonderful. I’ve made it three times already and not only does my family enjoy it but my parents love it as well. I made it twice in the pressure cooker and once in my slow cooker. The slow cooker, which I made today, so far I like best however my family hasn’t come home for dinner to try it out. I did change the ham for smoked turkey and as my little secret I added gumbo mix, sausage and brown sugar!!!! It’s a high five recipes. Season to your taste. The perfect winter evening meal.
We love this soup. With a few exceptions based purely on personal taste, I followed the recipe. I used all the broth I made with a ham bone. I also added more vegetables then the recipe called for. And finally I used one of my favorite soup tricks, thickening with a little dried instant potato flakes. I use an electric pressure cooker and it took me 2 rounds of 6 minutes each at 20 pounds of pressure to get the lentils tender. YUMMY!
This recipe makes a delicious soup. However, I would offer a word of warning regarding choice of lentils. I’ve made it twice, following the recipe exactly both times. The first time was perfect; the second time, the lentils were not cooked after 6 minutes in the pressure cooker. After a little research, I think I know why. The first time, I used brown lentils – the most common kind. The second time, I used green lentils (all I could find in the store that day). It turns out that green lentils typically take longer to cook than brown ones, and even when they’re done, they’re not as soft as the brown ones. The soup was definitely better with brown lentils. Except for that issue, the soup was easy to make and just right for a wintry day.
So good!
Really good soup, and the timing in the recipe is perfect. The vegetables were tender but not mushy or overcooked and the lentils were cooked perfectly as well. I did not use the shanks as directed since I had leftover ham I needed to use up so I used chicken broth and part water instead. I have no doubt the ham shanks and ham broth would be even more flavorful. I will try that next time!