Lentil Soup with Smoked Turkey Legs

Name: Lentil Soup with Smoked Turkey Legs
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 1 h 50 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Southern
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil; 1 large (about 10 oz) (300 g) yellow onion, peeled and cut into ½-inch (1 cm) dice; 3 medium (about 7 oz) (200 g) carrots, peeled and cut into ½-inch (1 cm) dice; 3 ribs (about 5 oz) (150 g) celery ribs, cut into ½-inch (1 cm) dice; 4 cloves (12 g) garlic cloves, minced; 2 tablespoons (32 g) tomato paste; 2 legs (about 1½ lb total) (680 g) smoked turkey legs, whole, bone-in, skin on; 1½ cups (300 g) dried green lentils, rinsed in a strainer and picked over for debris; 6 cups (1420 ml) low-sodium chicken broth; 3 cups (710 ml) water; 8 sprigs (8 g) fresh thyme sprigs, left whole, tied with kitchen twine if desired; 2 leaves (1 g) dried bay leaves; ½ teaspoon (1 g) black pepper, freshly ground; 1 tablespoon (15 ml) apple cider vinegar; kosher salt, to taste, added at the end; ¼ cup (15 g) fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped, for serving (optional)

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

A hearty, smoky soup where whole smoked turkey legs simmer with green lentils, carrots, celery and thyme until the meat falls off the bone and the broth turns deeply savory. A splash of vinegar at the end brightens everything.

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 1 hr 30 min
Wait: 10 min
Total: 2 hr
Makes: About 3 quarts (2.8 L), 6 generous bowls

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Ingredients

6 servings

2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
1 large (about 10 oz) (300 g) yellow onion, peeled and cut into ½-inch (1 cm) dice
3 medium (about 7 oz) (200 g) carrots, peeled and cut into ½-inch (1 cm) dice
3 ribs (about 5 oz) (150 g) celery ribs, cut into ½-inch (1 cm) dice
4 cloves (12 g) garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons (32 g) tomato paste
2 legs (about 1½ lb total) (680 g) smoked turkey legs, whole, bone-in, skin on
1½ cups (300 g) dried green lentils, rinsed in a strainer and picked over for debris
6 cups (1420 ml) low-sodium chicken broth
3 cups (710 ml) water
8 sprigs (8 g) fresh thyme sprigs, left whole, tied with kitchen twine if desired
2 leaves (1 g) dried bay leaves
½ teaspoon (1 g) black pepper, freshly ground
1 tablespoon (15 ml) apple cider vinegar
kosher salt, to taste, added at the end
¼ cup (15 g) fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped, for serving (optional)

Equipment (7)

6-quart (5.7 L) heavy-bottomed soup pot with lid
Chef's knife and cutting board
Fine-mesh strainer for rinsing lentils
Wooden spoon
Tongs
Two forks or kitchen shears for shredding
Ladle

Steps

Before you start

Smoked turkey legs are already cooked and quite salty, so use low-sodium broth and wait to add salt until the very end.
Choose a pot large enough to hold two turkey legs lying down and about 3 quarts of liquid (6-quart / 5.7 L or bigger).
Green (French-style or brown-green) lentils hold their shape. Red or yellow lentils will turn to mush over this long simmer.
Plan on about 2 hours from start to bowl: roughly 90 minutes on the stove plus shredding time. This soup is made entirely on the stovetop; no oven is needed.

1
Prep the vegetables
- Dice the onion, carrots and celery into ½-inch (1 cm) pieces so they cook at the same rate.
- Mince the garlic.
- Rinse the lentils in a fine-mesh strainer under cold running water for about 30 seconds, picking out any small stones or shriveled lentils.
- Drain well.
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Ready when: Vegetables are in even, roughly ½-inch pieces and the lentils are rinsed and drained.
Tip: Keep the garlic separate from the other vegetables because it goes in later and burns easily.
2
Sweat the vegetables
- Heat the olive oil in a 6-quart (5.7 L) heavy soup pot over medium heat until it shimmers.
- Add the onion, carrots and celery with the black pepper.
- Cook, stirring every minute or so, for 8 to 10 minutes.
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Ready when: Onion is soft and translucent, carrots have brightened and the edges of the vegetables are just starting to turn golden.
Tip: If the vegetables start to brown quickly or stick, lower the heat to medium-low.
3
Bloom garlic and paste
- Push the vegetables to the sides and add the garlic and tomato paste to the center.
- Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 to 2 minutes, then stir everything together.
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Ready when: Garlic smells fragrant and the tomato paste darkens from bright red to brick red.
Tip: Don't let the garlic turn brown; it will taste bitter in the finished soup.
4
Add turkey and liquid
- Nestle the smoked turkey legs into the pot.
- Pour in the broth and water, then add the thyme sprigs and bay leaves.
- Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil, about 8 minutes, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
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Ready when: Large bubbles break across the whole surface of the liquid.
Tip: The legs should be mostly submerged. If the tops poke out, that's fine; turn them halfway through simmering.
5
Simmer the turkey
- Reduce the heat to low so the liquid barely bubbles.
- Partially cover the pot with the lid slightly ajar and simmer for 40 minutes, turning the legs once at the halfway point.
- Skim off and discard any foam or excess fat from the surface.
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Ready when: Broth smells smoky and savory, the skin is soft and the meat starts to loosen from the bone.
Tip: A gentle simmer keeps the broth clear; a hard boil makes the meat stringy.
6
Cook the lentils
- Stir in the rinsed lentils.
- Return to a steady gentle simmer over medium-low heat, partially covered, and cook for 28 to 32 minutes, stirring occasionally so lentils don't stick to the bottom.
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Ready when: Bite a lentil: it should be tender and creamy inside but still holding its shape, with no chalky center. The turkey meat should pull easily from the bone.
Tip: If the soup gets too thick during cooking, add ½ cup (120 ml) hot water at a time.
7
Shred the turkey
- Turn off the heat.
- Use tongs to move the turkey legs to a cutting board and let them cool for 10 minutes.
- Fish out and discard the thyme stems and bay leaves.
- Pull the skin and any gristle from the legs and discard it.
- Shred the meat from the bones with two forks, discarding bones and tendons, then chop any big pieces into bite-size bits.
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Ready when: You have about 2 cups (roughly 10 oz / 280 g) of tender shredded meat with no bones or tendons left in it.
Tip: Smoked turkey legs have thin, hard tendons; feel through the meat with your fingers to catch them.
8
Finish and season
- Return the shredded turkey to the pot and stir.
- Warm over medium-low heat for 3 minutes.
- Stir in the apple cider vinegar.
- Taste and add kosher salt a pinch at a time, tasting after each, until the flavors taste bright.
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Ready when: Soup is steaming hot throughout (at least 165°F / 74°C) and tastes balanced: smoky, savory and slightly tangy.
Tip: Salt last. Smoked turkey and broth vary a lot, and some batches need no extra salt at all.
9
Serve
- Ladle into warm bowls and top with chopped parsley if using.
- Serve with crusty bread or cornbread.
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Tip: The soup thickens as it sits; thin it with a splash of hot water or broth if needed.

Good to know

Tips

Rinse the lentils but do not soak them; green lentils cook evenly without it.
Add the vinegar only at the end. Acid added early can keep lentils from softening.
If the soup is thicker than you like, mash a ladleful of lentils against the side of the pot for body, or thin with hot water.
Salt in small pinches at the end, because smoked turkey and broth brands vary widely in saltiness.

Make ahead

Make the soup up to 3 days ahead; the flavor improves overnight. Cool, refrigerate, then reheat gently and thin with water or broth. Add the vinegar and adjust salt after reheating.

Storage & reheating

Cool completely within 2 hours. Refrigerate in airtight containers for up to 4 days. Freeze for up to 3 months (leave 1 inch / 2.5 cm headspace). Do not leave at room temperature more than 2 hours. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat, stirring, until steaming hot (165°F / 74°C), adding water or broth as needed because the lentils absorb liquid.

Substitutions

smoked turkey legs → Smoked turkey wings or a smoked ham hock. Wings work almost identically; a ham hock gives a porkier flavor and may need a longer simmer (about 15 minutes more) to turn tender.
dried green lentils → Brown lentils. Cook time is similar but brown lentils soften more and make a thicker soup. Do not use red lentils.
low-sodium chicken broth → Low-sodium turkey or vegetable broth. Use the same amount. Avoid full-sodium broth, since the smoked turkey is already salty.
apple cider vinegar → Fresh lemon juice. Use 1 tablespoon (15 ml), added at the end.