Last week I was able to go a trip back east and it was sooooo cold! (Follow me on instagram @365dayscrockpot to see all my adventures) It was definitely still soup weather there even though it’s April. So if it’s still cold where you are this recipe is for you! This soup is chock full of ham and lentils and hearty barley. It will warm you right up and it’s pretty healthy too! No heavy cream or cheeses in this soup (although that might actually be really tasty).
You’ll start with some basic pantry staples and end up with soup…isn’t that the way soup should be? Throw stuff that you have in your fridge/pantry in a crockpot and turn it on and forget it.
Lentils, barley, cubes of ham, red onion, grated carrots, tomatoes, tomato sauce and spices
If you’re up for more soup ideas you can always check out my all my crockpot soups in my index. I have plenty to choose from…some of my most popular recipes are soups. Like the Slow Cooker Chicken Gnocchi Soup with Kale and Parmesan or the Crockpot Lasagna Soup or the Creamy Tortellini, Spinach and Chicken Soup. My 7 year old son loves soups and is always so happy when I make them for dinner…I don’t think that’s very typical for a little kid but hey I’ll take it! He wants to start a restaurant called Yum Soups!, I kind of like the idea. What do you think? I would definitely sell this ham and lentil soup at his restaurant and the one that I’m totally in love with lately is the blender roasted red pepper soup. I just got 6 more red peppers at Costco yesterday so I could make it 3 times this week. To me, it’s a perfect lunch (along with this avocado grilled cheese). Anyhow, what soup would you like to see sold at Yum Soups!? I’ll ask Skyler if he approves of your choices and let you know.
Before I give you the recipe I am just really excited about a BIG ANNOUNCEMENT that I’m going to be letting out of the bag in the next few days. I have to get a few things in place before I tell you but I am just super duper excited about it! So stay tuned…
Slow Cooker Ham, Lentil and Barley Soup
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 hours
- Total Time: 8 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 8-10 servings 1x
Description
A hearty but healthy lentil and barley soup with cubes of ham and tomatoes.
Ingredients
- 2 cups cubed ham
- 1 cup lentils (I used green lentils)
- 1 cup pearl barley (I find this in the bulk section of my grocery store)
- 1 medium red onion, diced
- 2 medium carrots, grated or sliced or chopped (I grated mine)
- 1 (14.5 oz) can of petite diced tomatoes
- 1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 10 cups water
- 6 tsp chicken bouillon (OR the amount needed to make 6 cups, some bouillons are more concentrated than others so read the packaging)
- Splash of lemon juice
Instructions
- Combine ham, lentils, barley, onion, carrots, tomatoes, tomato sauce, bay leaf, oregano, parsley, basil, garlic powder, black pepper, salt, water and bouillon in the slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or until lentils are tender.
- Add in fresh ground pepper to taste as well as a splash of lemon juice.
- Ladle into serving bowls and enjoy.
Notes
I use my 6 quart slowcooker for this recipe.
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I didn’t have tomato sauce so I used a 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes and cut back on the water. Used a combination of pearl barley and pot barley because I ran out of pearl barley. I used dried minced garlic because I didn’t have powder. Added some celery because I had some to use up and it adds more texture to the soup plus left the carrots in fairly large pieces. Will add some spinach at the end for added nutrition and colour. Love using lentils as they help make a meal more economical, plus they are filling, hearty, and healthy. Also, had ham that needed to be used up.
★★★★
Sounds like a great version!
I just found your soup recipe. It sounds amazing. What could I substitute for the lentils?
you can just increase the barley if you’d like
This looks delicious…but was wondering if using the instant pot will hurry the cooking time. What timing would work?
Thx
Alice
yes this would be perfect in the Instant Pot. I would put in there for 10 minutes on the soup button. The pot will take a long time to come to pressure. So the barley should definitely be cooked in 10 minutes.
I made this soup as directed and it was delicious! Will definitely make it again.
Awesome! I’m so glad.
This seems like simple question……….do you have a published cookbook on the market….preferably on soups? My printer has not been working for some time…..I have two daughters attempting to fix it but I don’t when that will happen. Thanks, Dottie Law. [email protected]
Hi Dorothy, how are you? I do have a few cookbooks. Here is the information: https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/order-your-cookbook-now/
Hi, this sounds so delicious! I was wondering if you think I could sub farro (instead of the barley) bc my kids prefer it?
yep, I think that would be great!
I just bought an electric pressure cooker,could I make it in that,and Substituting the ham for left over turkey.
Yes, that sounds delicious!
I’m new to slow cooker cooking, but this soup sounds amazing. I love making soups and I love lentils & barley so this should be great…..My question is that my slow cooker is only a 4QT….will all the ingredients fit? Also, can I substitute chicken broth or stock as I don’t like bouillon because it’s so salty?
Thanks,
Lori
Hi Lori,
It will probably fit! And yes you can use stock 🙂
Hello! so i made this on Sunday and i absolutely loved it! it was my first time making lentil soup and first time using my slow cooker. Thee only difference i did was that I used Black Forest Smoked Turkey instead of the ham to make it healthier, and i dint add barley, so i added 3 cups of lentil ( not the green ones). I also blended part of the soup as another reviewer suggested; i like thick soup 🙂 do not omit the splash of lime at the end! 🙂 it was delicious !
sounds amazing!
Hello Karen, this soup looks delicious, could i use 10 cups of chicken broth instead of the chicken bouillion ? and would i have to add salt too?
I would just start with the chicken broth and then if it needs more salt then you can always add that at the end!
Made this today! Very tasty! I like the seasonings very much. The only change I made was to use stewed tomatoes in place of the petite diced (it’s what I had).
I blended about half of soup with a stick blender.
I’ll definitely make this again. Thank you Karen!
oh blending it sounds fantastic! Thanks for letting me know.
I love this soup – it has so many ingredients and each one is visible in the final product. The midAtlantic is still chilly, so I could definitely go for a batch of this right now.
midAtlantic=soup for dinner tomorrow!
Love soups. Thanks for the nice recipe.
you’re welcome, Liz!
I think you should emphasize “hearty AND healthy” as opposed to “hearty BUT healthy”. It sounds like you’re issuing a disclaimer!
good point 🙂
I don’t see ham listed in the ingredients or the instructions.
oh man, I must be crazy…I fixed it…it’s in there now!
Good job! That was FAST!!
I make soup year round. My family loves lentils and I think we still have some leftover Easter ham in the freezer. I need to try this. It looks delicious!
perfect! hope you like it 🙂