Lentil Ham Vegetable Soup

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Lentil Ham Vegetable Soup is easily one of the most delicious and easiest soups I’ve ever made. Carrots, celery, sweet onion, garlic and lentils are with a ham bone creating a rich stock for all the ingredients to soak up. A little balsamic vinegar, thyme, salt and pepper bring all the flavors together for a warm comforting meal! 

Today I am bringing you lentil soup with vegetables and ham. I first tried this recipe at Vin’s Grandma’s house – she had us over one night for dinner and lentil soup, crusty bread and wine was on the menu. I had not had many lentil soups before this…maybe tried it one time, but this lentil soup was not on my “favorite soups” list. I am a tomato bisque kind of a gal. BUT…Grandma Leta’s lentil soup completely changed my view – this soup is so flavorful, hearty, comforting and HEALTHY. It’s the perfect dinner for anyone trying to eat a bit lighter, but it’s hearty enough to keep you full.

Grandma’s always have the BEST and EASIEST recipes don’t they? This soup looks a little intimidating…like there’s a lot going on there but really it’s very simple and the ingredients are pretty basic too. You just need to get yourself a ham bone…that’s key. Thanks to Easter, there were ham bones galore so I got lucky! 😉

Basic soup veggies go in first – onion, celery, and carrots along with some garlic. Then you add things like a HAM BONE, water, thyme, lentils, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Simple right?

Lentils – a type of bean rich in fiber and protein, low in fat and calories helping to reduce cholesterol. You can find lentils in different colors, brown, orange, pink and green. Trader Joe’s had orange and green ones, I chose the green ones but if they had pink ones, I would have definitely gone with those. At least, my pink shirt reflected in the picture above so they almost look pink. 😉

Basically, they are really healthy and we should eat them all the time. Best part…so easy to cook! They absorb flavors really well which is why the ham bone is so important in this recipe – HAM flavor!

I was afraid the soup was going to look like brown/green mess, but it was colorful and bright. I wonder what the pink ones would look like? Enjoy!

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Yield: 4-6

Lentil Ham Vegetable Soup

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This Lentil Ham Vegetable Soup is absolutely delicious. It's a great way to use leftover ham/a ham bone from holiday gatherings. Lentils, carrots, onion, celery and garlic are simmered with a ham bone creating a sweet and salty lentil soup.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
• 3 celery ribs, diced
• 1 large sweet onion, diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 medium-sized ham bone or 2 small ham bones (and any leftover sliced ham if you have it)
• 2 cups dried lentils, rinsed
• 1, 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 8 cups water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 1-2 teaspoons of salt (depending on how salty ham bone is)
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• Olive oil

Instructions

1. In a large soup pot, heat 3 tablespoons olive and throw in carrots, onion, celery, garlic and ham bone. Saute vegetable until soft, about 10 minutes. Remove ham bone and set aside.
2. Stir in dried and rinsed lentils. Then add can of diced tomatoes, water, and dried thyme. Bring everything to a boil then add ham bone back in and turn down heat to low and let simmer for 30-45 minutes until lentils are tender. The lentil will soak up the liquid.
3. Once lentils are tender, stir in balsamic vinegar and salt.
4. Remove ham bone again, cut off any ham and add it back into the soup. If you have leftover sliced ham, feel free to chop and add a good cup for a meatier soup.
5. Taste for seasoning. Serve with crusty bread and red wine.

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