One of my family’s go-to dishes for using leftover Christmas ham is this lentil soup with ham. Add some grated Parmesan cheese right before serving, and pair the dish with some crusty French bread.
| Prep Time: | 15 mins |
| Cook Time: | 30 mins |
| Total Time: | 45 mins |
| Servings: | 8 |
Ingredients
- 1 (32 ounce) carton low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups water
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 cup dried lentils
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 ½ cups cubed fully cooked ham
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Stir chicken broth, water, carrots, celery, onion, lentils, garlic, and red wine vinegar together in a large stockpot; bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer until carrots are tender, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in ham, mustard, salt, and pepper; simmer until lentils are tender, 20 to 30 minutes more.
- For added smoky flavor, add 1 to 2 teaspoons paprika.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 178 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 19 g |
| Cholesterol | 16 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 8 g |
| Protein | 13 g |
| Saturated Fat | 2 g |
| Sodium | 694 mg |
| Sugars | 3 g |
| Fat | 5 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
Easy …. so yummy. Have lots of beans in my freezer…left our the celery , used green lentles, added beans and corn. So pretty with all the colors.
Had so many ‘leftovers’ in the freezer, most of these ingredients, which helped make this soup a winner.. $0 cost! The soup was delicious, I added garlic to the pot while things simmered and at the end I added some horseradish mustard instead of dry masters and a splash of sherry vinegar. Delicious!
Great, fast, and easy. I always add the paprika and some smoked meat, (ham or turkey)
Definitely add smoked paprika! Used the instant pot and cooked on manual for 14 min. Quick release.
This soup is delicious, especially with the addition of spices: I used a tsp of herbes de provence and a bay leaf, plus the recommended smoked paprika. I also threw in some spinach, just for nutrition; I don’t think it added much in taste. I also waited to the end to add vinegar and no salt because I’ve read that acid and salt affect the cooking of beans. Usually I share my experiments with my neighbors, but they didn’t get any of this!
I followed all the ingredients as listed however I used a meaty ham bone from leftover Easter dinner to make stock for this soup. I didn’t use chicken broth and omitted the salt b/c I figured the bone and all the rest of the ham would make a flavorful enough broth for our taste. I used 8 cups of water to cover the bone and cooked it for about 30 minutes and then proceeded with the receipt as listed. I used 1 1/2 cups lentils and added some leftover spinach I had to move.
Super yummy and a great way to use up Easter ham! I sautéed the veggies before putting everything together and let it simmer longer because who doesn’t love when the house smells like delicious slow cooking soup goodness!
This was absolutely fantastic. I made it as directed except like other reviewers, I cooked the veggies in some oil before adding the liquid. I also did include the smoked paprika (2tsp) which I think is essential! Will definitely be using this for leftover ham in the future.
Firstly, I fried one piece of chopped bacon and sautéed the onions, celery and garlic (didn’t have carrots on hand) in the fat. Then I deglazed the pot with the red wine vinegar. Then I added homemade turkey stock (thank you Thanksgiving carcass!) and lentils and simmered for only 20 minutes. Added the mustard powder and doubled the ham. Simmered for another 5 minutes and it was delicious! I would never dump vinegar in a soup as is. Sounds easy but renders unsavory results.
Great for cold days! Recipe is great as listed, definitely add the reccomended paprika. We serve it with garlic or some kind of crusty bread. I usually double the recipe to freeze for quick grab lunches. The soup gets better and thicker the longer it sits. I have made it with different variations. Sometimes I use bacon in addition to the ham. Sometimes I will saute the veggies in bacon fat. Depending on your preference and time to cook you can leave veggies cut big or small. My family loves garlic so I usually throw more garlic in. I use green lentils. I have made it on the stove top and in a quick cooker. The recipe is great as written but also easy for you to put your own flare on it.
Good recipe. I tweaked it by using a pinch of pork bouillon to give the soup more flavor.
i made it using smoked turkey legs instead of ham. The flavor is good, but the vinegar makes the lentils crunchy. I like my lentils soft. Next time I would leave out the vinegar.
This soup is really delicious! Easy to make and very flavorful! Love lentils.
This is the best lentil soup/stew I have ever tried. The flavor is perfect which I think is a result of the red wine vinegar and dry mustard. I doubled the recipe so I could have leftovers. Very delicious. This will be my go to recipe for lentils from now on.
I made this vegan by using vegetable stock and omitting the ham. I did add the smoked paprika found in the cooks notes. It was very good and I will make it again.
i just made it just as published and added 1/2 tsp of smoked paprika as suggested and i sprinkled some parmesan cheese on top…i did do it in the electric pressure cooker and sautéed the carrots, celery, and onion in some olive oil, added the garlic a couple minutes later just before adding chicken broth and all the other ingredients..i put in on high for 10 minutes and quick released it..i used red lentils so they broke down almost all the way .. more consistent with a creamy soup, next time i may start at 5 minutes and work my way up if lentils not ready, or use brown lentils,but i liked it that way too..everyone loved it..definitely making again!! thank you..oh, i didn’t have low sodium chicken broth just regular and figured my ham would be salty enough too so i left out the salt..it was fine.
During coronavirus pandemic, limited options at the grocery store. Lentil soup was a wonderful option. Didn’t have celery so added some celery seed. Didn’t have chicken stock so used vegetable stock. Had some potatoes so added those for some added heartiness. Had some pita bread so made pita chips that we broke up at the bottom. Grateful for a hearty meal.
This was delicious! I used red lentils like some others because I like their creamy consistency and breakdown. Everything else was as listed. Great with a nice Caprese salad on a cold rainy night.
I’ve been making this for a while. First few times using the recipe just as written. Very good! Later experimenting with different sausages in lieu of the ham. Also very good. Now I start the basic recipe and then look into my fridge to see what might spice it up. Tonight I added leftover turkey breast, only a cup, spinach and fresh diced tomatoes along with an aging 1/4 bottle of Chunky Pace Salsa. 16 oz bottle. Smells great. Can’t wait to taste it.
Very tasty!
Saute the carrot, celery, onion and garlic in 2 tbs butter first. Increased lentils to 1 1/2 c. Add 2 tsp of paprika.