Description
Instant Pot Lentil and Hambone soup. What do I do with a leftover hambone? Make soup, of course. Lentil soup in under an hour, thanks to my pressure cooker.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 onion, minced
- 2 large carrots, cut into ½ inch pieces
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt (or fine sea salt)
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- Bone from 1 ham, meat still attached
- 1 pound brown lentils, picked over and rinsed
- 8 cups water
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar or sherry wine vinegar (optional)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt (or fine sea salt)
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- Saute the aromatics: Heat the vegetable oil in the pressure cooker pot over medium-high heat until the oil is shimmering. Add the onion, carrots, and garlic to the pressure cooker pot, and then sprinkle with the salt and red pepper flakes. Saute until the onion softens, about five minutes.
- Everything in the pot: Add the ham bone to the pot, then pour in the lentils and cover with water. (It's OK if the end of the bone pokes up out of the water.) Lock the lid on the pressure cooker.
- Pressure cook for 15 minutes with a natural release: Pressure cook at high pressure for 15 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker or for 12 minutes in a stovetop cooker. (In an Instant Pot, use the Manual, Pressure Cook, or Pressure Cook - Custom). Let the pressure come down naturally for about 20 more minutes. Remove the lid, tilting it away to avoid hot steam.
- Thicken, season, and serve: Fish the hambone out of the pot and set it aside until it is cool enough to handle. Pull the ham from the hambone, discard any pieces of fat or gristle, chop the ham into rough ¼ inch cubes, and stir the ham into the pot. Stir in the (optional) balsamic vinegar, 1 teaspoon of salt, and ½ teaspoon of pepper. Serve and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Weeknight Dinner
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: American