Lentil & Ham Soup is made with carrots, courgettes, and a hint of curry for a hearty, winter-warming soup. Perfect for using up leftover glazed Christmas ham and stock!
This soup came about after Christmas one year when the fridge was heaving with leftover stock and roasted gammon (or ham as it’s known once cooked)!
It’s become a family favourite as it’s so tasty and filling, perfect for an easy main meal served with some crusty bread! So today I have updated this recipe with new photos which was high time.
Do you have to use roasted Christmas ham in this recipe?
No, any cooked gammon or ham will do such as my 2 Ingredient Slow Cooked Gammon.
How long will Red Lentil & Ham Soup keep in the fridge?
This soup will keep for 3 days in the fridge.
It tends to thicken up the next day due to the lentils so add a splash of hot water from your kettle.
Can you freeze Lentil & Ham Soup?
Yes, you can freeze any leftover soup once it cools. Just thaw it overnight in the fridge when you want to use it.
Do you need to soak red lentils?
No, there’s no need to soak the red lentils, simply rinse them well in a sieve before using them.
Could this soup be made vegan?
Yes, you can substitute the gammon stock for vegetable stock and use vegan ham slices.
What ingredients do you need for Ham & Lentil Soup? (full recipe at bottom of page)
- unsalted butter
- large carrots, diced
- onion, finely dice
- garlic cloves, crushed
- rapeseed oil
- large courgette diced
- red lentils, washed
- ground nutmeg
- Madras curry powder (or curry powder of choice)
- Bay leaf
- homemade ham stock (or use gammon stock cubes)
- cooked gammon/ham
How do you make Lentil & Ham Soup?
- Start by gently frying the onion, garlic, and carrot in unsalted butter (salty butter burns).
- Add oil and courgette and gently fry until all vegetables are softened.
- Then add curry powder and fry for 1 minute.
- Next add red lentils, stock, bay leaf, and nutmeg.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 25 minutes.
- Use a stick blender to blend half of the soup to retain some chunky bits.
- Add the chopped ham and heat through before serving.
- Garnish with more chopped ham if desired.
More Recipes Using Leftover Ham
Here are some more recipes using leftover ham that you should try!
- Quiche Lorraine
- Ham, Cheese & Sweetcorn Turnovers
- Cheat’s Croque Madame
- Curried Egg Mayonnaise with Ham & Sweetcorn Jacket Potato
- Cheese, Ham & Potato Scone
- Leftover Ham Squash and Puy Lentil Salad
- Leftover Ham Spread
Pin for later!
Leave a comment and rating below when you’ve made this recipe; I love getting your feedback! You can also share your pictures by tagging @FabFood4All over on Instagram.
Previously published 28/12/2013
Lentil & Ham Soup
Equipment
- 1 Digital scale
- 1 Chopping Board
- 1 cook’s knife
- 1 Garlic crusher
- 1 Set measuring spoons
- 1 Measuring jug
- 1 sieve
- 1 Large soup pan (don't use non-stick)
- 1 Wooden spoon
- 1 ladle for serving
Ingredients
- 25 g unsalted butter
- 2 large carrots diced
- 1 onion finely dice
- 3 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 tablespoon rapeseed oil
- 1 large courgette diced
- 400 g red lentils washed
- Pinch nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon Madras curry powder
- 1 Bay leaf
- 1.8 L Homemade ham stock (or use gammon stock cubes)
- 200 g Cooked ham finely chopped
Instructions
- Fry onion, carrot and garlic gently for 5 minutes in the butter.
- Add the oil and courgette and fry gently until the vegetables are tender.
- Add the curry powder and fry for a minute.
- Add lentils, stock, bay leaf and nutmeg.
- Bring to the boil and then simmer for 25 minutes.
- Remove the bay leaf and blend half the soup to give a slightly chunky texture
- Add the chopped ham and heat through before serving.
- Garnish with some chopped ham if wished.
HH
This has quickly become my family’s favourite go to soup recipe. It’s delicious. Quick and easy to make. Have lost count of the amount of times my 16 year old has asked if I’ve made any lentil and ham soup! This freezes well so I double up the recipe and freeze in zip lock bags to take for lunch at work. As I’m writing my son has just walked in and said ‘yes’ so can’t see it lasting long!
Camilla
Aaw, that’s so lovely to hear. So glad it’s become a family favourite:-)
Mark
After having a great roast ham last night, and with a delicious ham stock waiting to be turned into a hearty soup for Sunday lunch, I searched for a good looking recipe. Cooked this and it was one of the best soups I have cooked recently! The only difference I made was I didn’t add any of the ham – I found with the ham stock that it didn’t need it (but only my personal opinion.) Thank you for sharing such a great recipe!
Camilla
Awesome Mark, so glad you liked it and made it your own:-)
Jacqueline Kelly
Cold wet Monday. Had some gammon left over from Sunday lunch,so looking for a soup recipe that would be easy and quick to use, this one is just great even my little 4 y.o likes it. I did it in my pressure king pro cooker and gave it 14 mins on the soup setting. Left it to cool added the ham and hey presto a great lunch. Thanks for the recipe.
Camilla
Excellent Jacqueline, so glad you both like the recipe and that you could adapt it for your Pressure King Pro:-)
Martina Evans
Thank you for this warming recipe!
Paul Wilson
Looks a very hearty soup now the colder weather is coming.
Jane Davies
What a scrummy winter recipe 🙂 x
Anne Dalzell
I’m starting to gather bits and pieces of recipes to get ideas of what to make over christmas. This little beauty has made my list!
Camilla
Fab:-)
Paul Wilson
Love lentils, must try and eat them more often.
William Gould
I love any sort of lentil soup!
Heather Haigh
This is one of my favourite soups. I love lentils.
Bev
Sounds delicious and very filling!
Camilla
Thanks, it’s real comfort food:-)
Carolyn Clapham
I made it and everyone loved it, including the little people 🙂
Camilla
Brilliant, so pleased:-)
Carolyn Clapham
Perfect for a cold, wet day, so I’m going to try a batch of this today. I’m looking forward to it already x
Camilla
Yes isn’t the weather rotten right now! Enjoy your soup:-)
Carolyn Clapham
Another delicious sounding recipe. Lentil is already a favourite of ours, but adding ham should make it even nicer.
Heather Haigh
Going to make me some of this for lunch – exactly what I fancy – mmmm.
Ursula Hunt
Lentil soup is my favourite
Helen Allan
I made this today and can confirm it is delicious!
Camilla
Aah, thank you so much for the feedback:-)
Leighanne Grainger
Sorry about the floods, must be scary 🙁 This soup will be the first soup I make so far this year, was kinda bored with my limited knowledge for recipes x
Camilla
Great, hope you enjoy it. The floods weren’t scary for us but some people in the neighbourhood were badly affected:-(
Herbert Appleby
Just what the nutritionist ordered, all those pulses and all the protein in this dish make a super healthy soup. Can I now change my eating habits forever?… no chance.
Cheryl Pasquier
Scary photos of the flooding ! Looks like the perfect warming soup to keep the chill out.
Camilla
Thanks, it’s souper:-)
Sarah Maclean
This soup sounds absolutely delicious. Thanks for sharing the recipe. I’m not a great fan of adding curry to soups but I may add some smoked paprika instead to give it that warming kick!
Herbert Appleby
this looks very healthy and tasty.
Tracy Nixon
You cannot beat a bowl of homemade soup and this recipe sounds soooo warming and tasty!
Camilla
Thanks, it is:-)
Anne Wallwin
lovely soup. i think my kids will like it.
Camilla
Thank you:-)
Ursula Hunt
Lovely heartwarming recipe for this time of year
Camilla
Thanks:-)
Paul Wilson
Lentils are very healthy. I must try more lentil recipes.
Camilla
Yes and I can thoroughly recommend my post for Glenda’s Winter Lentil Soup too:-)
victoria thurgood
This does sound yummy great for this cold weather
Camilla
Thank you, very comforting in this weather:-)
Janice
flooding is a miserable thing, glad it didn’t come any closer to you. Lovely soup, I always use ham stock for my lentil soup.
Camilla
Thanks Janice, yes we’re luckily just next to and not in the flood plain!
Louise Lumsden
yum that looks fab & is my fave soup I’ve never put courgette in before , will have to try it
Camilla
Thanks, hope you enjoy it too:-)
Julie's Family Kitchen
Your soup looks really warming and comforting. Sorry to hear the floods hit your area so badly. I trust you are all safe and well.
Camilla
Thanks it is just what we need after all this dreadful weather!
Maya Russell
Thank you for this warming recipe and use of Christmas ham.
Camilla
Pleasure:-)
Janine
I’ve got a feeling that this could be my new favourite
Camilla
Thank you:-)
DANIELLE VEDMORE
Looks lovely – very similar to my mums lentil and bacon recipe which everyone adores 🙂
Camilla
And not disimilar from my Glenda’s Winter Lentil Soup:-)
Laura Wilce
Good to hear you weren’t flooded. Awful weather, especially for Christmas.
I’ll be trying this soup. So warming and such great flavours!
Camilla
Thank you, just found out that the property not protected by our close’s flood wall next door but one had flood water up to their back door and as our immediate neighbour has a raised garden this must have stopped the water reaching us! Phew!
Hope you enjoy the soup:-)
Javelin Warrior
I’m so glad to hear the flooding hasn’t brought water into your home and you’ve been able to keep dry. And with a soup like this, you should be able to keep warm too 🙂 Love the use of lentils and curry with the ham…
Camilla
Thanks Mark we were lucky and to not loose our power! The soup is indeed keeping us warm as it has got quite chilly here:-)