Ham Bone & Lentil Stew

Ham Bone & Lentil Stew fills you up and warms your bones; it’s a great hearty comfort food recipe to use up your ham bone after any holiday! Keep dinner simple (and simply delicious), whether you choose to make this one in your slow cooker or your electric pressure cooker.

Here’s one delicious way to make use of the flavorful ham bone from your next holiday ham: Cook up this filling Ham Bone & Lentil Stew for dinner the next day, using either your Instant Pot or your Crock-Pot! I made my lentils in the Instant Pot this time, but either will work nicely.

Today’s recipe is actually a jazzed up version of a basic ham bone & lentils recipe my husband grew up with, which was basically just lentils, garlic, a ham bone, water, cumin, and a bay leaf. That unassuming version was nice & filling, but I’ve always thought that it needed a little something more.

This go-round, I cooked in a little more flavor and interest with additional seasonings, chicken broth, onion, & fire roasted tomatoes — then punched things up at the end with the spinach to add more color, veggies, and heartiness. Our simple lentil stew turned out just so tasty this way. It was still super easy to throw together, too, but those few extra ingredients made all the difference in the world.

Ham Bone & Lentil Stew — In the Instant Pot or Crock-Pot

Ingredients

16 oz dried green lentils
1 meaty ham bone
1 cup leftover diced ham (optional)
1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes
2 tsp minced garlic (about 4 small cloves)
1 bay leaf
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp cayenne
32 oz chicken broth
8 oz fresh spinach

Directions

Pick over and rinse the lentils. Chop the onion and garlic, and dice up your leftover ham if you’re adding some in (I did here).

Add all ingredients except for the spinach to your slow cooker or Instant Pot.

Stir the lentils into the liquid. It’s fine if the ham bone isn’t completely covered, but do get the lentils under the broth so that they soften and cook through. Then:

• If using an Instant Pot: Pressure cook on high for one hour, then quick release.
• If using a Crock-Pot: Slow cook on low for 10 hours.

This stew will come out great either way, with perfectly soft lentils infused with all of the fantastic flavor from the ham bone, broth, seasonings, and tomatoes.

Once your stew is done pressure- or slow-cooking, remove and discard the bay leaf. Then, pull the ham bone out of the pot, and cut any remaining meat off of the bone. Stir any usable ham back into the pot and discard the bone.

Stir your fresh spinach into the hot stew by the handful until all of it is just wilted, then serve.

Notes: Lentil stew is best scooped up with some crusty bread, naan, or pita bread. I deliberately left a lot of meat on my ham bone because I’d planned ahead of time to make stew with it, but the recipe will still turn out great, even if yours isn’t as meaty as the one pictured.

Hearty, filling, and flavorful: This stew’s for you

This stew is so flavorful & filling, while still remaining quite simple and unassuming. It’s great to cook up after any holiday where you have enjoyed ham, so give lentils a try the day after your next Easter or Christmas dinner. When you already have that ham bone + a little leftover ham ready to go, ham & lentil stew is also super affordable — as well as a nice way to keep dinner uncomplicated when you’re tired and cooked out following a holiday. Enjoy!

Ham Bone & Lentil Stew, printable recipe

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Ham Bone & Lentil Stew

Ham Bone & Lentil Stew fills you up and warms your bones; it’s a great hearty comfort food recipe to use up your ham bone after any holiday!

Course dinner

Cuisine stew

Keyword crock-pot, ham bone, instant pot, leftover ham, lentil stew, lentils, slow cooker

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

To pressure 20 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Servings 6

Author Rachel Singer

Equipment

• 1 instant pot – OR –
• 1 slow cooker

Ingredients

• 16 oz dried green lentils
• 1 meaty ham bone
• 1 cup leftover diced ham optional
• 1 medium yellow onion roughly chopped
• 1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 2 tsp minced garlic about 4 small cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• 32 oz chicken broth
• 8 oz fresh spinach

Instructions

Instant Pot or Slow Cooker, start here:

• Pick over and rinse the lentils. Chop the onion and garlic, and dice up your leftover ham if you’re adding some in (I did here).
• Add all ingredients except for the spinach to your slow cooker or Instant Pot.
• Stir the lentils into the liquid. It’s fine if the ham bone isn’t completely covered, but do get the lentils under the broth so that they soften and cook through.

Now choose: Instant Pot, or Crock-Pot?

• If using an Instant Pot: Pressure cook on high for one hour, then quick release.
• If using a Crock-Pot: Slow cook on low for 10 hours.

Instant Pot or Crock-Pot, finish up here:

• Once your stew is done pressure- or slow-cooking, remove and discard the bay leaf. Then, pull the ham bone out of the pot, and cut any remaining meat off of the bone. Stir any usable ham back into the pot and discard the bone.
• Stir your fresh spinach into the hot stew by the handful until all of it is just wilted, then serve.

Notes

Lentil stew is best scooped up with some crusty bread, naan, or pita bread. I deliberately left a lot of meat on my ham bone because I’d planned ahead of time to make stew with it, but the recipe will still turn out great, even if yours isn’t as meaty as the one pictured.

*** Cooking times and equipment listed here reflect the Instant Pot directions; see alternative slow cooker times in recipe above.

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