It’s easy, it’s light and it’s filling. The best part about Ham and Lentil Soup is that it’s made in a slow cooker! So the slow cooker does all the work for you. It’s a no-fuss kind of dinner.
Ingredients needed:
chicken broth onion celery carrots lentils ham fresh thyme fresh spinach salt and pepper Parmesan cheese (optional)
What’s the best slow cooker to buy?
I’ve had the best slow cooker for a good number of years now. It’s the Hamilton Beach 6-quart Set and Forget Digital Programmable Slow Cooker. I never expected it to last this long, and I’d buy the same one again if my current one bit the dust. I love this slow cooker for a number of reasons. It automatically switches to “warm” when it’s done cooking, so if you’re out and about when your recipe is done cooking then it won’t over-cook or go cold. It has a temperature probe, so you can keep an eye on meat temperatures during the slow cooking process. And it has a lid that clips on, so it’s easy to bring with you to a party.
How to make easy slow cooker Ham and Lentil Soup:
This is one of those recipe where you throw everything in your slow cooker and that’s it. There is no pre-cooking of anything at all. In your slow cooker, add chicken broth, water, chopped onion, chopped celery, dried lentils, ham and fresh thyme. Then you can set the slow cooker for 7 hours on low or for 4 hours on high.
When the slow cooker’s timer goes off, add in fresh spinach and stir to combine. The spinach will wilt and cook immediately. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Ladle the soup into bowls for serving. Garnish with some shaved or shredded Parmesan cheese, if you’d like.
I find that I like having this Ham and Lentil Soup around to eat a nice warm cup of soup for lunch. That means that leftovers are awesome. This soup will be perfectly fine to serve the following day. If the lentils happen to soak up the liquid overnight, just add a little more chicken broth or water to the soup. Enjoy!
Here are a few more recipes with ham that you might enjoy:
Ham and Cheese Manicotti Baked Ham and Cheese Sliders Creamy Parmesan Noodles with Ham Ham and Bean Skillet Spaghetti Ham and Cheese Baked Gnocchi Cheesy Ham Casserole Overnight Ham and Cheese Bake Ham and Scalloped Potatoes
