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You are here: Home / Soups / Lentil & Ham Soup

Lentil & Ham Soup

Updated 29 November 2024 Published 7 January 2022 58 Comments

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Lentil & Ham Soup Pinterest Image
Lentil & Ham Soup Pinterest Image
Lentil & Ham Soup Pinterest Image
Lentil & Ham Soup Pinterest Image
Lentil & Ham Soup Pinterest Image
Lentil & Ham Soup Pinterest Image
Lentil & Ham Soup Pinterest Image

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!

Close up portrait shot of Lentil & Ham Soup with bread on a board.

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.

Aerial shot of Lentil & Ham Soup with bread on a board.

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.

Lentil & Ham Soup with bread on a board.

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.

Aerial shot Lentil & Ham Soup with bread on a board & tea towel.

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
Lentil & Ham Soup with slice of bread on side of bowl.

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.
Aerial shot of bowl of Lentil & Ham Soup.

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!

Lentil & Ham Soup Pinterest Image

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

Aerial shot of bowl of Lentil & Ham Soup.
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5 from 7 votes
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Lentil & Ham Soup

Lentil & Ham Soup with carrots, courgettes and a hint of curry to give a hearty, winter warming soup.
Course Lunch, Main, Starter
Cuisine British
Prep Time 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes minutes
Total Time 50 minutes minutes
Servings 8
Author Camilla Hawkins

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.

Notes

If your stock is overly salty add some water to it to dilute.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. HH

    22/09/2022 at 3:14 pm

    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!

    Reply
    • Camilla

      23/09/2022 at 5:05 pm

      Aaw, that’s so lovely to hear. So glad it’s become a family favourite:-)

      Reply
  2. Mark

    13/12/2020 at 1:04 pm

    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!

    Reply
    • Camilla

      13/12/2020 at 1:58 pm

      Awesome Mark, so glad you liked it and made it your own:-)

      Reply
  3. Jacqueline Kelly

    09/09/2019 at 2:25 pm

    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.

    Reply
    • Camilla

      09/09/2019 at 3:04 pm

      Excellent Jacqueline, so glad you both like the recipe and that you could adapt it for your Pressure King Pro:-)

      Reply
  4. Martina Evans

    14/01/2016 at 1:26 pm

    Thank you for this warming recipe!

    Reply
  5. Paul Wilson

    07/09/2015 at 12:09 am

    Looks a very hearty soup now the colder weather is coming.

    Reply
  6. Jane Davies

    03/04/2015 at 12:09 pm

    What a scrummy winter recipe 🙂 x

    Reply
  7. Anne Dalzell

    09/11/2014 at 11:22 pm

    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!

    Reply
    • Camilla

      09/11/2014 at 11:42 pm

      Fab:-)

      Reply
  8. Paul Wilson

    22/09/2014 at 1:07 am

    Love lentils, must try and eat them more often.

    Reply
  9. William Gould

    11/09/2014 at 6:19 pm

    I love any sort of lentil soup!

    Reply
  10. Heather Haigh

    16/07/2014 at 7:17 pm

    This is one of my favourite soups. I love lentils.

    Reply
  11. Bev

    18/06/2014 at 2:51 pm

    Sounds delicious and very filling!

    Reply
    • Camilla

      19/06/2014 at 5:03 pm

      Thanks, it’s real comfort food:-)

      Reply
  12. Carolyn Clapham

    28/05/2014 at 8:19 am

    I made it and everyone loved it, including the little people 🙂

    Reply
    • Camilla

      28/05/2014 at 10:54 pm

      Brilliant, so pleased:-)

      Reply
  13. Carolyn Clapham

    27/05/2014 at 7:42 am

    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

    Reply
    • Camilla

      27/05/2014 at 4:18 pm

      Yes isn’t the weather rotten right now! Enjoy your soup:-)

      Reply
  14. Carolyn Clapham

    17/04/2014 at 1:41 pm

    Another delicious sounding recipe. Lentil is already a favourite of ours, but adding ham should make it even nicer.

    Reply
  15. Heather Haigh

    05/04/2014 at 12:18 pm

    Going to make me some of this for lunch – exactly what I fancy – mmmm.

    Reply
  16. Ursula Hunt

    28/01/2014 at 1:35 pm

    Lentil soup is my favourite

    Reply
  17. Helen Allan

    15/01/2014 at 8:48 pm

    I made this today and can confirm it is delicious!

    Reply
    • Camilla

      16/01/2014 at 9:54 am

      Aah, thank you so much for the feedback:-)

      Reply
  18. Leighanne Grainger

    14/01/2014 at 4:10 pm

    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

    Reply
    • Camilla

      14/01/2014 at 4:50 pm

      Great, hope you enjoy it. The floods weren’t scary for us but some people in the neighbourhood were badly affected:-(

      Reply
  19. Herbert Appleby

    13/01/2014 at 11:21 pm

    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.

    Reply
  20. Cheryl Pasquier

    10/01/2014 at 10:18 pm

    Scary photos of the flooding ! Looks like the perfect warming soup to keep the chill out.

    Reply
    • Camilla

      10/01/2014 at 11:50 pm

      Thanks, it’s souper:-)

      Reply
  21. Sarah Maclean

    09/01/2014 at 2:56 pm

    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!

    Reply
  22. Herbert Appleby

    07/01/2014 at 11:55 pm

    this looks very healthy and tasty.

    Reply
  23. Tracy Nixon

    07/01/2014 at 10:52 am

    You cannot beat a bowl of homemade soup and this recipe sounds soooo warming and tasty!

    Reply
    • Camilla

      08/01/2014 at 7:05 pm

      Thanks, it is:-)

      Reply
  24. Anne Wallwin

    02/01/2014 at 8:05 am

    lovely soup. i think my kids will like it.

    Reply
    • Camilla

      02/01/2014 at 9:32 am

      Thank you:-)

      Reply
  25. Ursula Hunt

    30/12/2013 at 5:57 pm

    Lovely heartwarming recipe for this time of year

    Reply
    • Camilla

      31/12/2013 at 12:29 am

      Thanks:-)

      Reply
  26. Paul Wilson

    30/12/2013 at 1:08 am

    Lentils are very healthy. I must try more lentil recipes.

    Reply
    • Camilla

      30/12/2013 at 8:47 am

      Yes and I can thoroughly recommend my post for Glenda’s Winter Lentil Soup too:-)

      Reply
  27. victoria thurgood

    29/12/2013 at 10:57 pm

    This does sound yummy great for this cold weather

    Reply
    • Camilla

      29/12/2013 at 11:34 pm

      Thank you, very comforting in this weather:-)

      Reply
  28. Janice

    29/12/2013 at 9:23 pm

    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.

    Reply
    • Camilla

      29/12/2013 at 10:02 pm

      Thanks Janice, yes we’re luckily just next to and not in the flood plain!

      Reply
  29. Louise Lumsden

    29/12/2013 at 3:19 pm

    yum that looks fab & is my fave soup I’ve never put courgette in before , will have to try it

    Reply
    • Camilla

      29/12/2013 at 9:11 pm

      Thanks, hope you enjoy it too:-)

      Reply
  30. Julie's Family Kitchen

    29/12/2013 at 2:26 pm

    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.

    Reply
    • Camilla

      29/12/2013 at 9:12 pm

      Thanks it is just what we need after all this dreadful weather!

      Reply
  31. Maya Russell

    29/12/2013 at 4:18 am

    Thank you for this warming recipe and use of Christmas ham.

    Reply
    • Camilla

      29/12/2013 at 9:44 am

      Pleasure:-)

      Reply
  32. Janine

    28/12/2013 at 7:43 pm

    I’ve got a feeling that this could be my new favourite

    Reply
    • Camilla

      29/12/2013 at 9:45 am

      Thank you:-)

      Reply
  33. DANIELLE VEDMORE

    28/12/2013 at 7:16 pm

    Looks lovely – very similar to my mums lentil and bacon recipe which everyone adores 🙂

    Reply
    • Camilla

      29/12/2013 at 9:46 am

      And not disimilar from my Glenda’s Winter Lentil Soup:-)

      Reply
  34. Laura Wilce

    28/12/2013 at 6:44 pm

    Good to hear you weren’t flooded. Awful weather, especially for Christmas.

    I’ll be trying this soup. So warming and such great flavours!

    Reply
    • Camilla

      29/12/2013 at 9:50 am

      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:-)

      Reply
  35. Javelin Warrior

    28/12/2013 at 6:35 pm

    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…

    Reply
    • Camilla

      29/12/2013 at 9:52 am

      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:-)

      Reply

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