Recipe for Lentil & Ham Soup

Right before Christmas we were given a ham bone. I had lentils on hand so I looked up my recipe for Lentil & Sausage Stew, compared it to a recipe for Split Pea & Ham Soup, and came up with this one! We enjoyed this simple yet hearty soup, served with homemade Tomato Bread.*

 

I made one huge batch and froze the rest for later. (It freezes well.) The following recipe, paired with homemade bread, easily makes two meals for our family of four. (For a smaller batch, divide the recipe in half.)

Ingredients:
3 cups dried lentils
12 cups water
1 Tbsp dried onion
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp salt (optional)
4 to 8 medium carrots, grated (approx. 2 to 4 cups)
(I like to add lots of veggies!)
1 meaty ham bone

Instructions:

Rinse and drain lentils. Put lentils and water in a large pot and bring to a simmer. (Add onion, thyme, and salt.) Add ham bone and then cover and simmer for about 30 minutes, until lentils are tender and ham is “falling off” the bone. Remove the bone and chop (or break up ham pieces to desired size). Add grated carrots and simmer 15 minutes more before serving.

Garnish with freshly ground pepper, freshly grated carrot, etc.

(Yields approximately ten 1-cup servings.)

*Tomato Bread pairs perfectly with this soup!