Lentil Soup with Ham
ByPublished on July 21, 2011
Time
1¾ hours
Yield
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil2 cups dried brown lentils, rinsed and picked over2 carrots, peeled and chopped1 onion, chopped fine3 garlic cloves, minced½ cup white wine7 cups low-sodium chicken broth1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme1 bay leaf¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes1 ham bone, plus 2 cups leftover chopped ham½ pound kale, stemmed and leaves chopped
Before You Begin
Snap the ham bone into 2 pieces to fit into the Dutch oven.
Instructions
- Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add lentils, carrots, and onion and cook until vegetables are softened and lentils are beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add wine and cook until reduced by half, about 1 minute. Stir in broth, thyme, bay leaf, and pepper flakes and bring to boil.
- Add ham bone, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, covered, until thickened and lentils are completely tender, about 1 hour. Discard ham bone and bay leaf. Puree 2 cups soup until smooth. Return pureed soup to pot and stir in kale and ham. Simmer, covered, until kale is tender, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
Time
1¾ hoursYield
Serves 6 to 8Ingredients
Ingredients
Ingredients
Why This Recipe Works
To enhance the flavor of our Lentil Soup with Ham, we used chicken broth instead of water because the ham bone simply did not have enough time to give up all of its flavor to the quick-cooking lentils. Sautéing the lentils right in with the vegetables allowed them to cook evenly and prevented the lentils from blowing out and turning to mush. Browning them first in oil enhanced their flavor.
To give the dish a thicker, rustic texture, we buzzed a few cups of the soup in a blender and then added the puree back to the pot.
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