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