I always make extra ham around the holidays so I have plenty of leftovers on hand to make soup recipes such as ham and beans, ham and potato soup, ham and corn chowder and this hearty ham bone soup. What are you making for Christmas this year? I’ve decided to make cioppino, which is a crab and seafood stew, as well as a honey glazed ham. Normally I’d just do one main course but 2/3 of my kids are not into seafood! One of my favorite ways to use up leftover ham is this hearty slow cooker ham bone soup. Putting the leftover ham bone in the crock pot adds SO much flavor and really makes this recipe something special.
Ham Bone Soup Ingredients
To make this recipe, you will need onion, carrots, a ham bone, a bag of dried bean soup mix, chicken broth, thyme, garlic, ham, a can of tomatoes, parsley, salt and black pepper.
How Do You Make Ham Bone Soup?
Rinse the beans, then reserve the seasoning packet in the bag for later use. Place the onion, carrots, ham bone, beans, chicken broth, thyme and garlic in a slow cooker. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours, until the beans are tender. Stir in the ham, tomatoes, seasoning packet and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for an additional 20 minutes, then sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve up a hot steamy bowl of soup.
Tips For The Perfect Soup
It’s important to use low sodium broth because ham tends to be quite salty, and you don’t want to end up with too much salt in your soup. You don’t need to soak your beans for this soup, but you will need to rinse them. You may wonder why most of the seasonings get added at the end of the cooking time. Salt and acidity can affect beans while they’re cooking by making them tough, which is why the seasoning goes in after the beans are already cooked. Any type of mixed dried beans will work. I typically use a bag of 15 bean soup which comes with a seasoning packet. If you don’t have a seasoning packet in your bag of beans, you can simply skip that step in the recipe and it will still be delicious. Don’t have a ham bone? Check your grocery store meat counter for ham hocks, they’re very inexpensive and they make the perfect substitute for a holiday ham bone.
Flavor Variations
While this soup is delicious as is, you can easily customize the flavors to your tastes.
Protein: You can also make this soup with leftover turkey by using some or all of a turkey carcass and diced turkey. Beans: Instead of a bean mix, try a single variety of beans such as navy beans, great northern beans, cannellini beans, red beans, chickpeas or black eyed peas. Vegetables: Feel free to add some other veggies towards the end of the cooking time, such as mushrooms, sweet potatoes, celery, spinach, kale or green beans.
What’s your favorite way to use up leftover holiday ham or turkey? I’ve got plenty of ideas with my Leftover Ham Recipes and Leftover Turkey Recipes posts!
Ham Bone Soup Video
