I always like cooking ham and I often find myself thinking that my favorite part is the leftovers; especially that ham bone. Ham bones can be used to either make a nice ham stock or you can just throw the bone right into any number of tasty soups and it adds a ton of flavour as simmers away. This time I was thinking that I don’t use lentils often enough and that a ham and lentil soup would be really nice. I don’t normally use a recipe for these kinds of soups as they are so easy. After I have decided on the primary ingredients I normally go for the standard onion, carrot and celery combo along with some stock. From there I add a few herbs, fresh or preserved and I like to finish the soups off with a green vegetable, in this case I went with some spinach. The soup is really easy to make and once you are done with all of the chopping you can relax while it simmers and draws out all of the flavours. The ham and lentil soup turned out great! It was nice and tasty and I really enjoyed the texture of the lentils in the soup. I will need to experiment some more with lentil soups.
Ham and Lentil Soup
ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion (chopped)
- 1 carrot (chopped)
- 2 stalks celery (chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic (chopped)
- 4 cups ham broth or chicken broth or chicken stock
- 1 cup dry lentils
- 2 cups ham (diced)
- 1 ham bone (optional)
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- pepper to taste
- 1 bunch spinach (rinsed and trimmed)
directions
- Heat the oil in a large sauce pan.
- Add the onions, carrot and celery and saute until tender, about 10-15 minutes.
- Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, a few minutes.
- Add the stock, lentils, ham, ham bone, oregano, bay leaf and thyme and simmer, covered on low heat for an hour.
- Remove from heat and stir in the spinach.
Ham and Bean Soup
Ham and Chickpea Soup
Hoppin’ John
Split Pea Soup
Creole Split Pea Soup
Maple, Bourbon Ham and Baked Bean Soup
Lemony Lentil Soup
Sharon says
April 16, 2009 at 12:15 amLooks great Kevin! Love lentils!
VeggieGirl says
April 16, 2009 at 12:17 amMmm, lentils & spinach!!
Y says
April 16, 2009 at 12:27 amTasty! Will have to remember to make this in the near future. Cooked a batch of pork ‘n’ beans recently, so I’ve od-ed on the combination for the time being.
Amanda @ Fake Ginger says
April 16, 2009 at 12:30 amThat looks delicious. I wish my husband would eat lentils. 🙁
Jessica says
April 16, 2009 at 12:35 amWow, I can imagine the flavors! This would go great with the balsamic syrup drizzled baguette I just posted.
Marta says
April 16, 2009 at 12:47 amLentils are the best food ever, so nutritious and flavourful! Thanks for this great recipe 🙂
meeso says
April 16, 2009 at 12:58 amThe best part about ham IS the leftovers… the soup looks great!
Leslie says
April 16, 2009 at 12:59 amWhat a nice, filling and healthy soup!
Anonymous says
April 16, 2009 at 1:34 amLove lentils. The addition of ham seems interesting. Looks delicious.
Dragon says
April 16, 2009 at 1:37 amAnother winning combination!
Jaime and Jen DISH says
April 16, 2009 at 2:02 amKevin,
This soup looks devine! Seriously! Thanks for posting it, makes me want to try it and venture into the lentil world.
Bravo!
Jenifer
Ciao Chow Linda says
April 16, 2009 at 2:03 amKevin – The addition of the greens is really great. A nice change from the beans and ham soup I normally make with leftover ham bones.
Katrina says
April 16, 2009 at 2:12 amWe’re feeling a little all “hammed” out here from the big Easter dinner and all the leftovers, but this soup looks SO good. And there’s still more ham, the perfect kind for cutting little chunks.
Kerstin says
April 16, 2009 at 2:16 amLooks delicious – I love the spinach you added!
Adrienne says
April 16, 2009 at 2:31 amKevin, that looks great! I’ll have to make it for just me, as bf does not eat piggies, but! I think it would be pretty in pink with red lentils, too. Yum.
SD says
April 16, 2009 at 2:48 amwell, now I know what to do with the ham bone left over from your gingersnap crusted ham post (fantastic, by the way) I served for Easter…
Melynda says
April 16, 2009 at 3:06 amIt is the “green” that makes this soup so wonderful. Great idea, thanks.
Foodie with Little Thyme! says
April 16, 2009 at 3:21 amI love Lentil soup. I’ll try your version as soon as it’s not over 80 degrees here in Texas. Look yum.
Anonymous says
April 16, 2009 at 3:57 amThe spinach is nice and green-soup looks great 🙂
unconfidential cook says
April 16, 2009 at 4:21 amThis looks just great! It’s unseasonably cold here in LA, and what a perfect dinner (this would have been…tonight).
alice says
April 16, 2009 at 5:31 amBeautiful dish as always Kevin.
Rosa's Yummy Yums says
April 16, 2009 at 5:44 amA delightfully comforting dish with gorgeous flavors!
Cheers,
Rosa
Sylvie says
April 16, 2009 at 7:28 amHam and lentils are a perfect combination.
lillian says
April 16, 2009 at 8:12 amLooks great!You could also try adding to your standard stock and veggies,some olive oil,tomato paste,1 tsp sugar,oregano,and a WHOLE head of peeled,UNchopped garlic!!!
mirtilla says
April 16, 2009 at 9:58 amBellissima da vedere, buonissima da mangiare…
Buona giornata.
Debbie says
April 16, 2009 at 11:26 amI just love lentil soup. Looks great!
Steph says
April 16, 2009 at 11:54 amI love lentil soup!
mycookinghut says
April 16, 2009 at 11:57 amWhat a delicious dish! My kinda food!
Culinary Cory says
April 16, 2009 at 1:44 pmSounds like a perfect way for me to use up some of my leftover ham.
Jan says
April 16, 2009 at 2:17 pmGreat looking soup Kevin!
Netts Nook says
April 16, 2009 at 2:37 pmKevin your soup looks great love all the lentils.
Cheryl says
April 16, 2009 at 3:02 pmYUM that looks good, dang it I gave my ham bone to my sister in law!
Anonymous says
April 16, 2009 at 3:03 pmwow…with the ham, this soup must be SO flavorful! I’ve been looking for lentil recipes, so thanks for this! now, to find me a ham bone…
Allie says
April 16, 2009 at 3:07 pmHow beautiful, Kevin. Thank you for reminding me to use my lentils, and in such an appetising way!
Marysol says
April 16, 2009 at 4:03 pmWell, Kevin, you must be Peh-sychic.
I’d been craving Lentil soup all week long, and here’s your timely, not to mention, delicious rendition of a wonderful soup.
lisaiscooking says
April 16, 2009 at 4:10 pmI love lentil soup with spinach! Looks great!
stephchows says
April 16, 2009 at 4:11 pmthis sounds absolutely delicious!!
Rho says
April 16, 2009 at 4:47 pmI have just tagged you with a blog award. You can pick it up at my blog site: http://justrho.blogspot.com/
Deseree says
April 16, 2009 at 11:14 pmThat looks delicious! It is still a little cold here so soup sounds wonderful 🙂
Allen of EOL says
April 16, 2009 at 11:37 pmThe colors in this are amazing — it looks so delicious and is perfect for a chilly day.
Helene says
April 17, 2009 at 12:16 amThis is such a great recipe. I love leftover ham as well.
Phyllis says
April 17, 2009 at 12:27 amMMMMMMM….homemade ham and lentil soup. I’ve always had it straight from the can!
b/t/w I’ve given your blog an “I Love Your Blog” award on my latest post. Your gorgeous photos and recipes are very inspiring!
http://mehungry-phyllis.blogspot.com/2009/04/i-love-your-blog-awards-and-little-more.html
Christina says
April 17, 2009 at 3:41 amOoooh your lentil soup looks so good. I used to make split pea soups with smoked turkey too. The smoked turkey gives the same result as the ham. Your soup is reminding me that it’s about time for me to make mine again 🙂
Christina
Anonymous says
April 17, 2009 at 9:30 amThis soup looks absolutely delicious! And couldn’t be better timing – i have some ham that needs to be used up, and what a great way to do it!
SusanQ says
April 17, 2009 at 1:10 pmWe were thinking along the same lines this week. I couldn’t decide between lentils, peas or beans and beans won 🙂
megan (brooklyn farmhouse) says
April 17, 2009 at 2:49 pmI love lentils, and lentils & ham – classic, delicious combo! Great photo, too!
eatme_delicious says
April 18, 2009 at 9:47 pmYour photos are so gorgeous!
Jan says
April 18, 2009 at 10:16 pmThat looks like a wonderfully hearty soup.
Jeanne says
April 18, 2009 at 10:57 pmAll my favourite things in one bowl!! Definitely destined for my bookmarks 🙂
Anonymous says
April 20, 2009 at 11:48 amHey Kevin, i made your soup on the weekend and it was just as delicious as it looked in your picture! Thanks for a great recipe!
Anonymous says
April 22, 2009 at 8:41 amcan’t go wrong with that meal!
mirtilla says
April 22, 2009 at 1:11 pmHo parlato della tua ricetta ad una mia amica. Ha detto che la zuppa si fa anche coi ceci al posto delle lenticchie…
Dazy says
July 1, 2009 at 12:29 pmI like soups in winter, warming nourishing and usually make my own.
This one looks little thick and my kids like thick one too. It would be healthy too for them.
Anonymous says
October 9, 2009 at 1:29 amI love addding a bit of white wine vinegar in the soup on my serving bowl. It adds a great bite to the soup.
Brittany says
December 9, 2009 at 7:59 pmCould you use sausage rather than ham and prepare it the same way?
Kevin says
December 9, 2009 at 11:34 pmBrittany: I would say that a nice and tasty Italian sausage (or something similar) would also work really well.
Anonymous says
January 8, 2010 at 5:18 pmHey I used your recipe last night and made this for dinner! So easy and my husband and I loved it! Thanks!!
EricB says
February 24, 2010 at 2:05 amthis was delicious!!!
Christina says
November 22, 2010 at 2:16 pmI made this last night – incredible! Mine looked very different than yours and my lentils completely disappeared! But it was so delicious. Thank you!
masmix says
November 12, 2011 at 6:56 pmJust made this and it is unbelievably good. AS in AWESOME!!!!
ham and spinach soup says
May 10, 2012 at 2:44 ami’ve been meaning to make this soup since i first found your blog. SO easy, and so simple.,, Thanks,
Anonymous says
May 17, 2012 at 6:27 pmYour blog smells wonderful!
Anonymous says
January 14, 2013 at 12:11 amOk – I'm trying it this evening with the leftover ham bone from Christmas! No ham meat, no stock, but I do have the rest of the ingredients…. can't wait! Yum!