Looking for a quick brown lentil recipes with ham that is not a soup? Here is one of my favorite French or brown lentil recipes. It is easy, healthy, hearty, and smoked ham gives it a delicious flavor.

Easy Lentils recipes

It is as simple to make as it is flavorful. Lentils flavors pairs really well with ham and an olive oil thyme dressing.This is that simple ! What makes it even easier is the way to cook it: the steam cooker is incredibly easy to use and delivers very wholesome, healthy meals. This one is no exception.

The best about this meal is how filling and satisfying it is. a very quick lunch to make that will fill your kids for the long run ! My boy loves it even more than his sisters, and says it fills him up better than rice.

Colored lentils

There are many types and colors of lentils. You may know red lentils, yellow lentils ( moong dal), black lentils (beluga), french green lentils, brown lentils. This is probably not exhaustive list.

The type of lentils you can use for this meal is easy: either french green lentils or brown lentils, sometimes even beluga. Personally, I prefer green lentils and beluga lentils. But this meal tastes great regardless. 

French green lentils look brown. They are small dark brown lentils. They are the tastiest lentils to me, equal to beluga lentils. They are very nutritious, although plant iron is not highly absorbable. For better iron absorption, eat foods containing vitamin C with them.

In my opinion, any brown lentil recipe also works very well with Beluga or French lentils.

Make this lentils and ham meal easier to digest. 

For best results, soak lentils overnight. This wakes the dormant lentil and starts the sprouting process. This way, you get rid of phytic acid, which impairs the absorption of many nutrients. Soaking also raises the rate of mineral absorption. Additionally, soaking helps breaking down of the amylase present, making the food simpler to digest.

Don’t trust most websites cooking times !

Looking at the back of lentil packages, you may want to trust the cooking time the manufacturer recommends. To make my brown lentil recipe, I recommend you trust your tastebuds and your texture preference first.

If you soak lentils overnight, you won’t need them to cook in water. With an efficient food steamer like mine, just cook the lentils directly in the steamer basket once the steamer is visibly hot a vapor is visible. Only a few lentils will fall through the wholes. Alternatively, use a mesh strainer ( like the one from the instant pot) to avoid wasting any lentil. All you need is to cook lentils 5-6 minutes for a nice crunch. Of course you may need a bit more than me: I love a crunch! But don’t overcook, you would only raise your lentil’s glycemic index by the minute ( quite literally).

ingredients 

Use whole lentils.

Split lentils do not sprout. They soak well but waking the whole seedling increases nutrition density !

Meal prep: soak the uncooked brown lentils in cold water at room temperature. 

Use 1 cup of lentils ( 2 for 6 people with leftovers)  in small bowl with 2 cups of water

Fresh veggies:

I like using hearty greens: like green or savoy cabbage, sometimes shaved brussels sprouts. To shave fast, I use the 2 mm disc of my Cuisinart 14 cup food processor. I also add one sliced onion, steamed.

Thick cut ham, steamed.

Steaming why? Because it removes some toxins and fats. And pigs are not famous for being raised in a healthy way, unless you can afford pasture raised ham.

Steaming gives your meat a steam bath which removes toxins and part of ham’s inflammatory fats. I don’t have anything against pork’s fat, but an animal fed inflammatory foods provides fats that are more inflammatory to consumers than they naturally would be!

Seasoning

• Bay leaves,
• Extra virgin olive oil,
• Fresh herbs: fresh parsley
• Dried herbs: A tbsp thyme
• Sauce: I do not ordinarily, but you can use some vegetable broth or chicken broth. 
• Black pepper

Cooking in a steam cooker

What is and is not a gentle food steamer

Steam cookers in my definition do not include pressure cookers. You can use a multi-cooker’s steaming function provided it is not pressurized ! High pressure steam reaches very high temperature, which damages nutrients and fiber extensively! This is not gentle steam cooking. I only use pressure cooking for canning and boiling chicken broth.  Basically, do not use the Instant Pot pressure cooking function, and for your health’s sake, no high pressure! 

To learn more about gentle steam cooking and how to pick a good steam cooker check this article.

My recipe does not use a slow cooker either: boiling foods for hours on end also breaks down many nutrients and fibers. You loose a lot of taste as well ! I find it sad to make so much effort buying produce only to destroy its nutrition through cooking.

Quick Cooking

You don’t need much time to make this meal. Only soak your lentils the night before and rely on the efficiency of your steam cooker once the pot is visibly steaming. Having a hot food steamer is very important to rely on stable cooking times. 

Steam Cooking time

The Cooking time for soaked lentils with an efficient food steamer is 5-6 minutes. It is a very different cooking time than every package will tell you ! Lentils are lightly cooked so they remain a bit crunchy. Mushy lentils have lost much of their fiber content. If your stomach cannot withstand much fiber, that is probably because you are used to cook most of your foods too much. Therefore, your body isn’t used to much fiber. In this case, go slow eating high fiber foods again, especially legumes!

Steaming the Ham

Yes ! I do steam the ham. It gives it a steam bath to detox additives and inflammatory fats. Also, it significantly improves on the tastes. My kids tend not to like thick cut ham in their sandwich. They tell me they don’t like and prefer thin sliced. Interestingly, they like this ham after I steam it! Especially in lentils or fried rice.

Green or Brown Lentils and ham Meal: Cooking steps

• Soak the lentils the day before in a bowl that is at least double the volume as the amount of lentils you want to soak. Make sure they all are in water. You may have to add more water after a little while when the ones below have soaked it all.
• Prepare your food steamer. Fill up the tank with warm water ( 2 inches suffice) and turn on the stove on high heat.
• The day after: Cut your green veggies ( your broccoli into florets, your green cabbage into thin slices, shave your Brussels sprouts with a good food processor – 2MM is ideal)  and your onions in thin slices.
• Heat up a sauté pan on low heat. Add two tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp dried thyme, 1 tbsp coarse salt, one or two bay leaves.
• Cooking lentils: Place the lentils directly in the steamer basket, or if you prefer in a strainer that you will place in the steamer basket. Cook 5 to 6 minutes. Then transfer the cooked lentils to the pan and mix. Place the veggies into the steamer basket ( no strainer!) for 4 minutes and transfer to the pan, mix also. 
• Cut the ham in thin slices. place in the steamer basket. it will give it a steam bath and detox part of the toxines and inflammatory fats . it also improves on the ham’s taste significantly! Steam 5 minutes.
• Transfer ham to the pan, keeping heat low. Mix together, add a bit of oil ( 2 tbsp), adjust the salt, grind some pepper.

Substitutions and variations: 

• You can use canned lentils, although they are not as tasty or healthy. Use two cans for this meal. Simply pour in a stainless steel bowl and heat 10 minutes in the steamer before transferring to the pan.
• For a plant-based diet add some tofu, use vegetarian broth. 
• A little spice? add a 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes.
• Storage: Store in the fridge fridge for 4-5 days in airtight container.

F.A.Q.

Are lentils gluten free?

Yes, they are. You can eat lentils if you are gluten sensitive. I would however make sure to soak dried lentils rather than eat canned lentils for a better digestive experience. Also, your food nutrition will be better absorbed by your body this way.

What is best: dried lentils or dried lentils?

Dried lentils are better. For one thing, they are easier to store for a long time. No expiration !  Also, they are cheaper by the pound, and you may even afford organic by buying dried ones ! Also, by buying them dried you can soak them and get rid of phytic acid, which the industry does not do. More, you can sprout your lentils and add them to salad: cheaper than buying microgreens ( I usually sprout them for 2-4 days it’s delicious !) Finally, you chose how to cook them for ultimate texture and nutrition and digestion. All win!

Is this recipe keto friendly?

This recipe is not keto friendly. However you cook lentils, it always going to contain a lot of carbs. However, gentle steaming your lentils will certainly be the most keto friendly way to make it, because you will preserve the maximum nutrition and dietary fibers lentils contain.

Other Inspiring recipes

Other recipes with steamed beans:

• Garbanzo beans: Savory Intense Hummus, With A Steamed Cuisine Twist
• Black or kidney beans: Southwest Quinoa Salad With Steamed Beans

Recipes with steamed ham: Fried Rice, Steamed Cuisine Style

Recipe with cabbage: Easy Steamed Cabbage & Carrots Stir Fry with Sesame Dressing, Winter Vegetable Medley With A Side of Meat Balls, Fall Savoy Apple and Butternut Steam & Stir Fry

Now to the recipe card!