Lentil & Ham Soup

Lentil & Ham Soup is made with carrots, courgettes and a hint of curry to give 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 gone on to 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 just add a splash of hot water from your kettle.

Can you freeze Lentil & Ham Soup?

Yes, you can freeze any leftover soup once cool. Just thaw overnight in the fridge when you want to use.

Do you need to soak red lentils?

No, just make sure you rinse the red lentils well in a sieve before you use them.

Could this soup be made vegan?

Yes, just 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 in order to retain some nice 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 

I’m sure you’ll love this ham and red lentil soup so do leave a comment and rating below when you make it. You can also share your soup Instagram by tagging @FabFood4All as I love seeing my creations come to life!

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Previously published 28/12/2013

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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

Keyword gammon stock, ham stock, red lentils

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.