Here is a quick and simple weekday meal if you have a hankering for Mexican food. This pinto bean casserole is filled with layers of bright flavor and varied textures. Black olives, chopped cilantro, sour cream, jalapenos, salsa, and salsa are suggested toppings.
| Prep Time: | 20 mins |
| Cook Time: | 11 hrs |
| Total Time: | 11 hrs 20 mins |
| Servings: | 6 |
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups diced cooked ham
- 1 cup dried lentils
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 32 ounces chicken broth
- 1 cup water
- 8 teaspoons tomato sauce
Instructions
- Combine ham, lentils, celery, carrots, onion, and garlic in a 3 1/2-quart or larger slow cooker. Season with basil, oregano, thyme, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir in chicken broth, water, and tomato sauce.
- Cover and cook on Low for 11 hours. Discard bay leaf before serving.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 222 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 26 g |
| Cholesterol | 20 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 11 g |
| Protein | 15 g |
| Saturated Fat | 2 g |
| Sodium | 1170 mg |
| Sugars | 4 g |
| Fat | 6 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
added a whole small can of tomato sauce and doubled the recipe, and it was delicious.
I thought it was bland on its own, but when I put it on top of some brown rice and added some Sriracha it became fabulous!
delicious!
I added spinach and cooked on low for 4-5 hours.
I should have trusted my initial instincts regarding the spices listed, but because of the rating decided to try it. The spices overwhelmed this dish, the fact that salt wasn’t listed should have been another red flag. Good base but next time will omit the 3 strong italian spices and try just used what my gut was telling me cajun spice instead. 11 hrs on low didn’t cut it for french green lentils, 5 hrs on high did though.
Prepared this for a diabetic. I added bell pepper and zuchini squash and a can of diced tomatoes. Cooked in my instant pot.
This soup is very good. I made it mostly as is but just half of the recipe. I also cooked this on the stove for about 45-50 minutes at a low simmer after boiling all for about 5 minutes. The reason for my 4 stars is because I truly believe the soup needs a bit more tomato whether it is in sauce form or with actual crushed or diced tomatoes. Tomato gives it color and more flavor. It was looking too pale and unappealing with the amount of tomato sauce the recipe calls for. Also, if you wish I highly recommend using actual crushed tomatoes for a bit creamier than brothy result. Will make it again with my tomato suggestions.
Mmmm. Only had 3 hours so pressure cooker in instant pot 8 minutes and then left on keep warm. Wonderful seasoned soup!
I added some dry white wine, cayenne, and dried chipotle pepper flakes, and substituted tomato paste for the tomato sauce. It was amazing!
It’s in my slow cooker right now. Smells delightful. I added a teaspoon of salt and an 8 ounce can of tomato sauce for the 8 teaspoons called for (odd amount, in my opinion). After reading many comments, I decided to cook on high for four hours, and will probably give it a stir midway. Looking forward to eating this! I like to add some shredded cheese and possibly some hot sauce for my serving.
I thought the flavor was lackluster. Not sure if some salt might have helped, but I wanted to keep it low sodium. I also thought 11 hours was a bit long since lentils don’t need a lot of cooking time. I cooked for about 9 hours and the thickness was just fine. Maybe a little soy sauce or balsamic would kick the flavor up a notch.
My husband and I absolutely loved it. It was absolutely delicious
This was excellent, a nice new addition to my menu. Instead of the tomato paste I used a can of diced tomatoes. I substituted oregano for the bay leaf. Everyone here loved it.
I agree with those who said it lacked flavor. After looking at a couple of the reviews I decided to saute the onions and celery in butter to give them a little flavor. I also used a can of fire roasted diced tomatoes because I didn’t have much tomato sauce. That still didn’t add enough flavor for me so I added a bit of Lipton Garlic Herb soup mix that I had on hand and that added enough flavor to satisfy me.
This recipe is a great base start, but by just reading the recipe and following it, it sounds extremely bland. This sounds like a recipe for someone who is diabetic or cannot have too much flavor due to stomach/GI issues. I added 2 smoked ham hocks, more garlic, Sazón along with a few other things I don’t remember. Came out awesome!
I don’t like to write a review if I haven’t followed the exact recipe, but this soup was wonderful. I didn’t put the ham in, which would have added to the wonderful taste. Thickened nicely, which is how we like it. This is a keeper.
Very good and thick. Cooked for 10 hours. I may try cooktop next time, like others suggested
Definitely needs more ham even with the additional 1/2 C I added. I used a pint of home-canned crushed tomatoes instead of the tomato sauce. Next time I might try some diced zucchini in addition to the other vegetables.
The soup was just ok. Not recipe I would make again. I found the diced ham out of place.
Very tasty! I used more garlic and added cumin. Sauteed garlic and onion in olive oil. Then, added tomato sauce and a bit of chicken broth and the rest of the ingredients to simmer a bit before adding the rest of the chicken broth. Cooked on the stove-top for an hour. Best soup I’ve had in a while.
Yummy on a cold evening! Instead of pieces of ham, I used a leftover ham-hock. Wonderful flavor. Cooked for 6 hours in my slow cooker and it was fine.