Slow Cooker Lentil and Ham Soup
A day for family…
February 18, 2019 marks Family Day in my province of Alberta, Canada. A holiday to promote family values and spending time together as a family. Slow Cooker Lentil and Ham Soup is perfect for your family day weekend. Super easy to toss together in your slow cooker, and forget about until dinner time. Giving you the whole day to spend with your family without having to worry about dinner until the last few touches are required, which is hours later.
Dinner is ready…
With just a couple of last minute touches to the soup, the whole family can enjoy a hearty and satisfying soup made from scratch. It’s a wonderful bowlful to warm everyone up from a day of outdoor activities even if it’s not a holiday. The recipe makes about 10 cups and freezes well too.
To ham or not to ham…
I love the subtle smokiness a ham bone can bring to soup and I just happen to have a ham bone leftover from the holidays. If a ham bone isn’t available to you, a smoked pork hock works just as well and they’re readily available all year. I also like the texture and flavour of meaty little bites of ham throughout the soup too, so I’ll definitely ham it up when I can. But don’t fret, this is a lovely vegan soup without the ham if that is your preference. The dill and vinegar in the recipe add a little brightness to the soup and helps to cut the starchiness of the lentils. It’s so, so good.
Now, about the lentil…
I could rattle on and on about the lentil, but the lentils website is very informative about the varieties, nutrition and cooking of the lentil. It’s a good read with lots of information.
Author: Compelled to Cook
- 1 1/2 cups green lentils
- 1 1/2 cups chopped white onion 1/4" dice
- 2 stalks celery, chopped 1/4" dice
- 2 large carrots, chopped 1/2" dice
- 2 cups chopped cabbage 1/2" dice
- 2 each garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley or 1tsp dried
- 1 each bay leaf
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 small meaty ham bone or smoked pork hock
- 8 cups chicken or vegetable broth divided
- as needed chopped fresh dill
- as needed sour cream
- to taste salt and pepper
- 2 tsp white vinegar
- Rinse and drain lentils. Add lentils along with onion, celery, carrots, cabbage, garlic, parsley, bay leaf, thyme to your slow cooker.
- Cut excess ham away from bone and save for later.
- Add ham bone and 7 cups of broth to slow cooker. Stir to combine, cover and cook on low for about 7 hours, stirring once or twice.
- While soup is cooking, coursely chop or shred ham. Cover and refrigerate until soup is ready.
- Remove ham bone and bay leaf from soup. Adjust consistency with the additional cup of broth. Stir in chopped ham and white vinegar. Cover and allow to cook for 5-10 more minutes to warm ham. Add a generous sprinkle of fresh dill and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and more fresh dill.
- a smoked pork hock will work in place of a meaty ham bone.
- for a vegetarian/vegan option, use vegetable broth and omit the ham and sour cream.
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