Ham and Lentil Soup

Name: Ham and Lentil Soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 1 cup dry lentils (green or brown); 1 cup cubed ham (or leftover ham from holidays); 1 ham bone (optional); 2 tablespoons olive oil; ½ cup sliced carrots (about 2 medium sized); ½ cup chopped celery (2-3 ribs); ½ cup diced onion (1 medium); 1 teaspoon minced garlic (2 fat cloves); 1 teaspoon dried oregano; 1 teaspoon paprika (smoked or sweet ); 6 cups chicken stock; 2 - 3 dry bay leaves; 5 oz fresh baby spinach; ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley; 1 teaspoon table salt; ½ teaspoon black pepper

We love a soup that’s delicious all year round, and this ham and lentil soup happens to be our favorite recipe. It’s the perfect meal to use up leftover holiday ham, or easy to purchase a ham bone, smoked ham hock, or ham steak from the store for extra flavor. My husband loves when we serve this hearty soup with some crusty bread to soak up every last drop!

With just 10 minutes of prep time, you can have this comforting dinner on the table any night of the week. It has so much fresh veggie flavor and doesn’t require hours of simmering on the stove. Try our quick chicken noodle soup or creamy cauliflower soup for other easy soup recipes.

Why you’ll love this lentil soup with ham

Flavorful soup in under an hour – Many soups needs hours to simmer on the stove, but this lentil soup with ham only takes 45 minutes from start to finish.
This soup is even better the next day – This is one of those recipes where the flavors are even richer when you reheat the soup the day after – the ideal leftover meal.
A one-pot meal that you can customize with any vegetables in your fridge – We often use a soup to help ‘clean out’ the fridge! We love adding different herbs and spices like rosemary or thyme, cubed squash, potatoes, tomatoes, even mushrooms!

Tip for Busy Cooks: The secret to a great lentil soup is to avoid overcooking the lentils or they can become mushy. Be sure to simmer them for 20 to 30 minutes until just tender; they will have more texture as well as flavor.

Ham and lentil soup is being scooped out of a large white Dutch oven using a stainless steel ladle.

Key Ingredient Notes

Lentils – You can use green or brown dried lentils. No need to soak them! We love green or brown lentils, since they have a sturdier texture and a rich, earthy flavor.
Ham – Use your leftover holiday ham or any other ham. If you have a ham bone, it’s perfect to use it in this soup with the chicken stock for a deeper and more pronounced flavor.
Aromatics – This includes celery, carrots, onion, and garlic. These are the foundational vegetables for a soup, also known as mirepoix.
Chicken stock – A high-quality chicken stock is essential for any soup recipe. My homemade Instant Pot chicken stock is easy to prepare and perfect for this recipe.
Herbs and spices – Bay leaves, fresh parsley, paprika (smoked or sweet), and dried oregano each play a role in making this a flavorful soup!
Optional garnishes – We love serving this soup with a squeeze of lemon juice to amp up the flavor. If you like to spice things up, add in some chili flakes. Grated parmesan cheese or even cooked and crumbled bacon would also be delicious.

Ingredient shot for ham and lentil soup. The ingredients from top to bottom include, olive oil, seasonings, garlic cloves, bay leaves, celery, carrots, cubed ham, lentils, onion, parsley, baby spinach, and a ham bone.

How to make ham and lentil soup

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large Dutch oven or pot.
Cook the carrots, celery, onion and garlic for 3-4 minutes or until the vegetables are slightly soft.

The large white pot on the left has onion, carrot, celery, and garlic added. The pot on the right has the vegetables sauteed until softened.

Add the dried oregano, paprika, salt and pepper and sauté that for a minute for the spices to warm up.

The big white pot on the left has the softened vegetables with the spices sprinkled over the top. The pot on the right has the spices cooked with the vegetables. Both pots have a large wooden spoon in them.

Add lentils and ham. Mix well with the vegetables and spices.
Nestle the bay leaves and ham bone, if using, on top of the lentil and vegetable mix.
Add the chicken stock and bring the soup to a boil over medium high heat. Lower the heat and let the soup simmer until the lentils are cooked through, 20-30 minutes.

The big white pot on the left has the lentils added to the cooked vegetables with a large wooden spoon. The white pot on the right has the chicken stock, ham bone, and bay leaves added.

Once the lentils are soft, fish out and discard the bay leaves and ham bone, if used.
Stir in the spinach and let it simmer for a couple of minutes or until the spinach wilts. (You don’t want to overcook the spinach.)
Then stir in parsley and serve hot, either on its own or with some crusty bread. A squeeze of lemon will amp up the flavor.

The big white pot on the left has finished soup with the ham bone and bay leaves removed. The pot on the right has the fresh baby spinach being added. Both pots have a large metal spoon in them.

Expert Tips:

Sort through the lentils for pebbles prior to cooking. Rinse the lentils in a fine mesh sieve and remove any debris that may be present.
No need to soak the lentils prior to cooking. The lentils cook quickly in about 20 to 30 minutes. There is no soaking required, making this recipe fast and easy.
Use any type of ham for this soup recipe. Whenever we make a big ham in the winter or spring for the holidays, we need new leftover ham recipes to use up all the meat. This soup is ideal for that and a family favorite recipe. You can also use any thick-cut ham at the store that can be easily cubed.
A ham bone makes this soup even more rich and flavorful. It’s totally optional. Some other alternatives that are easy to find at the store are a ham hock (for a smoky flavor) or a bone-in ham steak.
Add the greens last. We use baby spinach in our recipe, but kale or Swiss chard are also great options. You want to wilt the greens in the soup a couple minutes prior to serving for the best texture and flavor.

Storing Tips

Store leftover lentil soup in the fridge for up to 2 days or freeze it for up to 3 months in an airtight container. When ready to reheat, thaw the soup on the counter for a couple of hours or overnight in the fridge.

This lentil soup with ham tastes even better the next day, but it tends to thicken up in the fridge. Simply add half a cup of water or chicken stock before reheating it in a microwave or stovetop to thin it out.

Ham and lentil soup in a white bowl with a metal spoon. A second bowl of soup in the back as well as a small bowl of chopped parsley.

FAQs

Why do you use a ham bone for ham and lentil soup?

The bone has lots of flavor as well as collagen from the ham itself, making the soup very rich even with a short simmer time.

Why are my lentils mushy?

They are probably overcooked. Be sure to simmer them for just 20 to 30 minutes or then can begin to soften too much.

Can you add dry lentils to soup?

Yes, you can. Dried lentils unlike beans don’t need to be soaked. Green and brown lentils hold their shape in this soup for great added texture.

More Easy Soup Recipes

I hope you love this recipe as much as I do! Let me know once you’ve tried it by leaving a comment below or sharing a photo and tagging @busy_cooks on Instagram!

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This recipe was originally published on March 10th, 2021.

Juile GO says

August 3, 2025

Excellent soup to start someone on a Mediterranian Diet. The second time I made this I added diced tomatoes to my sauteed veggies. It was outstanding with the squueeze of lemon. Thank you for including the freezing information as many do not.
I make the pot and leave out the spinach do my containers for the freezer first and add the spinach after thawing and reheating. Love this soup.