German Lentil Soup (No Hambone, No Problem)  

Comfort and nutrition come together seamlessly in this German Lentil Soup, with rich ham stock, tender lentils and meaty ham chunks.

When I was growing up, German food and Gemütlichkeit were everywhere.  This warm and flavorful heritage was a happy perk of living in Milwaukee, a town with one of the country’s largest German-American populations. 

So, for this already food-obsessed youth, a fine dinner out might be at a nice German Restaurant like the now closed Karl Ratzsch’s.  Here dishes like Crackling Pork Shank, Burgandy Red Cabbage and Spinach Salad with Hot Bacon Dressing warmed you physically and spiritually. 

And this also included today’s German Lentil Soup, which is based on their recipe. Warm, hearty and surprisingly easy to make, it’s a dish that manages to combine a large dose of comfort with some healthy touches like legumes and carrots. 

How good is that! 

Why You’ll Love This!

Flavorful.  Smoky with a hearty goodness, this is fall/winter comfort food at it’s best!

Easy.  This soup doesn’t require boiling for hours.  Just chop (I used a food processor), sautee, then simmer until everything is tender and flavorful. 

Practical.  By using ham stock base (from Better than Boullion) and a small smoked, uncured ham instead of a meaty hambone, this becomes something I can make any time the spirit moves me.  No hambone, no problem!

Step by Step Overview

Pick over lentils, discarding anything that isn’t a lentil.  Set aside.

In a large stockpot, melt the bacon grease, then add the chopped carrot, onion and celery.  Sautee until tender but don’t brown.  Stir in the flour.

Add stock, bay leaf, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, hot pepper sauce, caraway and celery seed.  Bring to boil over high heat then reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes. 

Add minced parsley and chopped ham, simmer 5 minutes more to heat through. 

Serve hot, garnished with croutons if desired.

Tips & FAQs

The original recipe called for 16 ounces of dried lentils.  Since my package was 15 ounces, I went with that and in the end decided the soup looked a little brothy.  So I took out some of the broth, then cooked another 3 ounces of lentils (1/2 cup) until tender and added them in.  It’s still brothier than some lentil soups, but I like that and think that keeps it from feeling too heavy.   

Lentils come in a lot of different varieties and brown lentils would be the classic variety for German Lentil Soup.  But since I ran out of brown lentils, I didn’t hesitate to cook up some red when I decided it needed more.  Different varieties of lentils have different cook times, so if you do end up with another variety, just adjust this accordingly. 

I was delighted to find that Better Than Bouillon made a ham stock so I could stay true to the original recipe.  But the one downside was that it’s quite high in sodium.  So next time I make this I am going to try using half ham stock base and half low sodium beef, pork or chicken stock mixed with a pinch of smoked paprika to help punch up the flavor. 

And I was also excited to find a nice 1 ½ pound smoked uncured (no nitrate) ham at the grocers. Part of it went into this, and the rest into the freezer for future soup making!

Celebrate German Food / Oktoberfest!

Oktoberfest is on the horizon–but it’s fun to enjoy tasty German foods anytime. Consider tasty entrees like German Spiced Spatchcocked Chicken or German Pork Hock (aka Pork Shank).  Or indulge in fun sides like Hot German Potato Salad or Spaetzle. 

I think they’re beautifully warming all fall and winter! 

German Lentil Soup

Comfort and nutrition come together seamlessly in this German Lentil Soup, with rich ham stock, tender lentils and meaty ham chunks.

Author: Inger

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Course Soup

Cuisine German

Servings 10

Calories 320 kcal

Ingredients

  

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• 2 tablespoon bacon grease
• 1 cup carrot chopped
• 1 cup celery chopped
• 1 cup yellow onion chopped
• 2 Tablespoons flour
• 3 cups brown lentils 18 ounces
• 3 quarts ham stock like Better Than Bouillon
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 4 drops hot pepper sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon caraway ground
• 1/2 teaspoon celery seed crushed (or celery salt if broth not high sodium)
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon parsley minced
• 1/2 pound ham cubed
• Croutons for garnish if desired

Instructions

 

• Pick over lentils, discarding anything that isn’t a lentil. Set aside.
• In a large stockpot, melt the bacon grease, then add the chopped carrot, onion and celery. Sautee until tender but don’t brown. Stir in the flour.
• Add stock, bay leaf, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, hot pepper sauce, caraway and celery seed. Bring to boil over high heat then reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes.
• Add parsley and ham, simmer 5 minutes more to heat through. Serve hot, garnished with croutons if desired.

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Notes

I changed the cooking method slightly from the published original.  Instead of adding the aromatics (carrot, onion, celery) at the end, I chopped and sauteed them in the beginning like a classic mirepoix (method for amping up flavor).  Interestingly, when I saw the Ratzsch’s Pea Soup recipe, it does use this method, so who knows what actually happened. 

Nutrition

Calories: 320kcalCarbohydrates: 40gProtein: 22gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 22mgSodium: 1363mgPotassium: 767mgFiber: 18gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 2248IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 61mgIron: 5mg

I am not a health professional and nutrition data is calculated programatically. Accuracy may vary with product selection, calculator accuracy, etc. Consult a professional for the best information.

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