Lentil ham soup, an every day comfort soup, stocked full of healthy vegetables, tasty ham, hearty lentils, and pasta.
One afternoon while visiting a friend, she prepared for me one of the most delicious, healthy soups I had ever tasted – this lentil ham soup! I had to have the recipe! And she graciously shared the recipe with me. And now I am graciously and happily sharing the lentil ham soup with you. And I think you will feel like I did, you have to have the recipe.
Lentils are much easier to work with then you think. They add substance to soups, along with lots of nutrition. I added an additional pasta of either barley, balsamic rice, or orzo to make the lentil ham soup even more hearty.
To Make the Soup –
First, I rinse the lentils just to remove any dirt particles left behind. Set aside.
Next add all the diced vegetables to the heated oil, cooking until the onions are translucent. Brown the ham slightly, scrapping each bit of meat or vegetables that sticks to the bottom of your saucepan. You don’t want to leave those behind, they add a lot of flavor to your lentil ham soup.
Now comes the simplest part. Add the chicken broth, 2 cups of water, lentils, pasta, and spices. Make sure the lentils are covered by at least 1 inch. Simmer for about 1 hour or until the lentils are tender. Stir the lentil ham soup about every 15 minutes and add additional cups of water as needed for soup coverage. Once the lentils are soft, taste for flavor; here you can add additional spices or chicken broth if needed. Simmer an additional 5 minutes for flavor development.
Serve lentil ham soup warm with a salad and a great crusty bread for the completely delicious comfort meal you want.
Lentil Ham Soup
Ingredients
Lentil Ham Soup
- 1 1/2 cups dried lentils (rinsed)
- 1 cup orzo, barley, or balsamic rice
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup celery (diced)
- 1/2 cup carrots (diced)
- 1 small onion (chopped)
- 8 cups water
- 2 TBS olive oil
- 1 to 2 cups ham (cubed)
- 2 TBS parsley (fresh or dried)
- 1 1/2 TBS oregano (fresh or dried)
- 1 TBS basil (fresh or dried)
- 1/2 tsp thyme (fresh or dried)
- 1 tsp salt (to taste)
- 1/2 tsp white pepper (to taste)
Instructions
Lentil Ham Soup
- Heat oil in a large pot
- Add onions, celery, and carrots to the hot oil, saute until onions are translucent
- Add ham and let brown a little, scraping meat and vegetable bits off the bottom of the pan to add their flavor to the soup
- Add in chicken broth, lentils, rice, barley, or orzo, and spices
- Stir in an additional 2 cups of water enough to cover the lentils by 1 inch
- Simmer for 1 hour or until lentils and rice, barley, or orzo are tender. Continue to pour in additional water 1 or 2 cups at a time as needed to keep the lentils covered by 1 inch
- Simmer an additional 10 minutes to flavor the entire soup; if needed add additional spices or chicken broth for flavor
- Serve warm
Recipe first published October 2011, recipe and photo update May 2019.
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