Jana's Hearty Ham and Lentil Soup in a Pressure Cooker

Ingredients

• 1 ½ pounds smoked ham shanks
• 10 cups water
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 3 carrots, thinly sliced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed
• 2 cups lentils
• 1 ¼ teaspoons dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• ground black pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon vinegar, or more to taste

Step 1

Put the ham shanks and water into your pressure cooker and bring it up to pressure on medium heat. Once it hits 15 pounds of pressure, turn the heat down to low and let it cook for about 20 minutes. When the time's up, carefully release the pressure right away using your cooker’s recommended method. Take out the ham shanks with a slotted spoon and set them aside to cool. Once cool enough, shred the meat off the bones and set it aside. Pour the broth into a separate bowl for later.

Step 2

Heat the olive oil in the pressure cooker over medium heat. Add the chopped onion, carrots, celery, and garlic, and cook them gently, stirring often, until everything is soft and starting to shrink—this should take around 20 minutes. Then, stir in the lentils, 8 cups of the reserved ham broth, thyme, and bay leaf. Lock the lid back on, bring the pressure up to 15 pounds again, and cook for 6 minutes. When done, release the pressure immediately.

Step 3

Finally, stir in the tomatoes, shredded ham, black pepper, and a splash of vinegar. Let everything simmer gently over low heat until warmed through, then it’s ready to serve.