This Slow Cooker Ham & Vegetable Soup is one of those classic slow-cooked soups that gets even better the longer it cooks. A smoky ham hock slowly flavors the broth while lentils, barley and vegetables soften into a thick, cozy soup.
This is an old recipe my Mom used to make, and the vegetables were never exactly the same twice. Some days there was more pumpkin, other times extra carrots or celery depending on what was on hand.
How a Ham Hock Builds Flavor in Slow Cooker Soup
The ingredient that really gives this soup its character is the ham hock.
A ham hock is a cured and smoked pork knuckle that’s perfect for slow cooking. As the soup cooks over several hours, the ham slowly releases its salty, smoky flavor into the broth.
By the end of cooking the meat becomes very tender and pulls away easily from the bone.
Once the soup has finished cooking:
- Remove the ham hock from the slow cooker
- Discard the skin, bone and excess fat
- Shred the remaining meat with two forks into small pieces
- Return the shredded ham to the soup
Why This Soup Thickens Naturally as It Cooks
One of the things I really like about this soup is that it thickens naturally as it cooks, without needing flour or cornstarch.
The lentils, split peas and pearl barley slowly soften during the long cooking time. As they break down, they gently thicken the broth and give the soup a hearty texture.
Vegetables help with this as well. Grated pumpkin, carrots and zucchini soften into the soup and add body to the broth.
If the soup finishes thicker than you prefer, simply stir in a little boiling water at the end until it reaches the consistency you like.
The Flexible Vegetable Base of This Soup
This soup is very forgiving when it comes to vegetables. The base combination of onion, celery, carrots and leek gives the soup a good foundation of flavor, but you can easily add other vegetables depending on what you have available.
Root vegetables that work well
These cook slowly and blend nicely into the soup:
- parsnips
- turnips
- potatoes or sweet potatoes
Greens to add near the end
Greens can be stirred in during the last part of cooking:
- spinach
- kale
- silverbeet
Extra flavor additions
You can also add extra flavor with ingredients such as:
- garlic
- canned tomatoes
- cannellini or butter beans
- herbs like thyme or rosemary
This style of soup is quite flexible, and it’s a great way to use up vegetables that need using.
Helpful Tips Before You Start This Soup
This soup is very simple to prepare because nothing needs to be browned first. The longest part of this is all the vegetables! But once they are chopped and grated, most of the work is done and the slow cooker takes care of the rest.
A few little things I’ve learned from making this soup over the years:
Use a nice big slow cooker
This soup makes quite a generous batch, so a 7–8 quart slow cooker works best once all the vegetables go in. Depending on the extra vegetables you add, it can produce anywhere from 4-6 quarts of soup, so it’s great for freezing or feeding a crowd.
No need to brown anything first
I simply add everything to the slow cooker and let it cook slowly until the lentils are soft and the ham is tender.
The soup thickens naturally
As the lentils, split peas and vegetables cook they soften and thicken the soup. If it ends up thicker than you prefer, just stir in a little boiling water at the end.
Use whatever vegetables you have
This is a very forgiving soup. Along with the base vegetables you can add things like potatoes, sweet potato, kale, peas or corn depending on what you have in the fridge.
Old-fashioned soup tip
Soups like this often taste even better the next day once the flavors have settled.
If you’re new to slow cooker soups, my guides on Slow Cooker Cooking Times and How to Make the Best Slow Cooker Soups can be helpful.
Serving and Storing This Soup
This soup is lovely served hot in bowls with a sprinkle of chopped parsley.
It’s especially good with:
- soft dinner rolls
- crusty bread
- buttered toast
Allow the soup to cool before storing.
It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or you can freeze it for up to 3 months in airtight containers or freezer bags.
Reheat gently until piping hot before serving.
How to Make Hearty Slow Cooker Ham & Vegetable Soup
The full ingredients and detailed instructions are in the recipe card below. These photos simply show the main stages of preparing the soup.
Step 1
Add the soup mix (or the lentils, split peas and barley) to the slow cooker along with the diced onion, celery, leek and the grated vegetables.
Step 2
Pour in the vegetable broth and add the seasonings. Stir gently to combine everything.
Step 3
Nestle the rinsed ham hock into the center of the soup.
Step 4
Cook on LOW for about 9 hours (or HIGH for 5–6 hours) until the lentils are very soft and the ham is tender.
Step 5
Remove the ham hock, discard the skin and bone, then shred the meat.
Step 6
Return the shredded ham to the soup, remove the bay leaf and adjust the seasoning or consistency if needed.
My recipe for Slow Cooker Ham and Vegetable Soup
I think you will love this special family soup
Slow Cooker Ham & Vegetable Soup
This hearty Slow Cooker Ham & Vegetable Soup is a thick comforting soup made with smoky ham hock, lentils, split peas and vegetables slowly cooked into a rich nourishing soup
Ingredients
- 1 (7.5 oz / 210 g) packet dry vegetable soup mix with lentils
- OR
- ¾ cup green split peas (about 150 g)
- ¼ cup pearl barley (about 45 g)
- 2 tablespoons green or brown lentils (about 25 g)
- 2 tablespoons red lentils (about 25 g)
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 2 celery stalks, finely diced
- 1 leek, finely diced and well rinsed
- 3 large carrots, grated
- 2 parsnips, grated
- 10 oz (300 g) pumpkin or butternut squash, grated
- 10 oz (300 g) zucchini, grated
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups good-quality vegetable broth
- 1–2 cups water, if needed
- 1 (1½ lb / 700 g) ham hock, rinsed
- 1 teaspoon salt (adjust at end)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce or ½ teaspoon Marmite
- Optional: chopped parsley to serve
Instructions
- Rinse the split peas, barley and lentils well before adding to the slow cooker
- Add them to the slow cooker along with the onion, celery, leek, carrots, parsnips, pumpkin (or butternut squash), zucchini and garlic.
- Pour in the vegetable broth and, if needed to cover the ingredients, add 1–2 cups of water.
- Add the salt, pepper, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, bay leaf, brown sugar and soy sauce. Stir gently to combine.
- Nestle the rinsed ham hock into the center of the soup.
- If cooking on LOW, it helps to cook on HIGH for the first hour before turning the slow cooker down to LOW for the remaining 8 or so hours.
- Alternatively cook on HIGH for 5–6 hours, until the lentils and split peas are soft and the meat is tender and falling from the bone
- Remove the ham hock. Discard the skin, bone and excess fat, shred the meat and return it to the soup. Remove the bay leaf.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more salt if needed. If the soup is thicker than you prefer, add a little boiling water to loosen it.
- Serve warm in bowls and sprinkle with chopped parsley if desired.
- Serve hot with crusty bread or soft rolls.
- Let the soup cool to room temperature before storing.
- Refrigerate for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months in airtight containers or freezer bags.
- Reheat gently until piping hot before serving.
Notes
Use a nice big slow cooker
This soup makes quite a generous batch, so a 7–8 quart slow cooker works best. Once all the vegetables go in it can get quite full.
No need to brown anything first
I don’t bother browning the ham hock or vegetables for this soup. Simply add everything to the slow cooker and let it cook slowly until the lentils are soft and the meat is tender.
The soup will naturally thicken
As the lentils, split peas and vegetables cook they soften and thicken the soup quite a bit. If it ends up thicker than you prefer, just stir in a little boiling water at the end until it’s the consistency you like.
Use whatever vegetables you have
This is one of those lovely flexible soups. Along with the base vegetables you can easily add things like potatoes, sweet potato, turnips, kale, spinach, peas or corn depending on what you have in the fridge.
How to know when the ham hock is ready
The soup is ready when the ham hock meat pulls away easily from the bone and the lentils are very soft.
Old-fashioned soup tip
Soups like this often taste even better the next day once the flavours have had time to settle, so it’s a great one to make ahead.
Freezing leftovers
Allow the soup to cool completely before freezing. It freezes well for up to 3 months and reheats beautifully.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 113Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 675mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 5gSugar: 5gProtein: 5g
This nutrition calculation for Just Slow Cooker Recipes has been automated, please use your discretion with the calculation and use your own if unsure.
More Slow Cooker Soup Recipes
If you enjoyed this Hearty Slow Cooker Ham & Vegetable Soup, you might also like these slow cooker soups:
- Slow Cooker Zuppa Toscana
- Slow Cooker French Onion Soup
- Slow Cooker Cauliflower & Broccoli Soup
- Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup
I hope you love this hearty ham and vegetable soup as much as we do. If you try it, I’d love to hear how it turned out for you in the comments below.
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Thank you so much for visiting and taking the time to try this recipe. I hope you find plenty of slow cooker inspiration here on my blog.
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Happy cooking!
Anna
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