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Ham Bone & Vegetable Soup

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Ham Bone & Vegetable Soup is a great way to use up leftover Ham! This soup is packed with flavor and tastes great the next day! Eat half now and freeze the rest for later, this soup is a must make!

 

 

A few years ago I made the most incredible Honey Baked Ham.

We were in the kitchen nibbling on it the moment it came out of the oven and could not get enough of it.

My children even declared that it was THE BEST HAM they’d ever eaten.

 

Ham Bone & Vegetable Soup - carrots, onion and celery in pot with bacon grease

 

Ever since then I’ve started to cook a whole bone in ham 2 – 3 times per year.

However, it wasn’t until this year that I decided to try to do something with the ham bone.

Everyone would talk about how tasty ham bone soup was.  

 

Ham Bone & Vegetable Soup - garlic added to sauteed vegetables

 

However I had never had it and so I couldn’t say one way or the other how it tasted.

This year all that changed.

With my last ham, I decided to save the bone and attempt Ham Bone and Bean Soup.

 

Ham Bone & Vegetable Soup - seasonings added to vegetables

 

There are so many versions that I finally settled on one in an old church cookbook from my youth.

That recipe made a very large batch and so I adjusted it down to a normal family serving size.

 

Ham Bone & Vegetable Soup - diced bacon added to vegetables

 

After tweaking the recipe slightly, I have to say the Ham Bone & Vegetable Soup was delicious.

I was most surprised by the taste.

I already knew that the vegetable soup aspect would be delicious.

 

Ham Bone & Vegetable Soup - ham bone and broth added to vegetables

 

Carrots, celery, onion and spices I know would all compliment each other.

However I wasn’t sure how the ham would play into the flavors.

What surprised me most, and it really shouldn’t, was that the soup tasted SO MUCH like the original ham glaze.

 

Ham Bone & Vegetable Soup - soup cooked with bone removed

 

By cooking the ham bone for 2 hours with the remaining ham attached to the bone, the flavors of the original ham seeped into the soup.

This made the soup SO SO SO good!!  

 

Ham Bone & Vegetable Soup - ladle of soup mixture held above pot of soup

 

As fair warning, allow your soup to cool, just a bit before scarfing down a bowl.

I made the mistake of eating it immediately and my tongue and taste buds took a few days to recover from the piping hot liquid poured over them.

Now if you DO want to eat it right away, you can always add a dollop of sour cream or pop your bowl into the freezer for a few seconds first.

 

Ham Bone & Vegetable Soup - soup in a bowl

 

Either way, don’t ruin your taste buds. 

You’ll need them when you want to enjoy bowl 2 or 3!

This soup cooked up well the next day as leftovers and my husband even liked it.

 

Ham Bone & Vegetable Soup - zoomed image of soup in bowl

 

You could even freeze individual portions of this soup for later use!  

Having leftover ham is guaranteed when you make a large spiral cut ham.

However, what you do with the leftover ham and ham bone is up to you!

 

Ham Bone & Vegetable Soup - zoomed out image soup with onion and celery next to

 

Here on Num’s the Word we have quite a few recipes that use up leftover Ham and hope you’ll whip this Ham Bone & Vegetable Soup up along with a few others!

Simple, flavorful and oh so tasty, this Ham Bone Soup is the perfect way to use up leftover ham!

 

Yield: 8 Servings

Ham Bone & Vegetable Soup

Ham Bone & Vegetable Soup - bowl of soup next to pot of soup
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 3 hours

Ingredients

  • 4 slices thick cut bacon
  • 3/4 cup white onion diced
  • 3/4 cup celery, diced
  • 3/4 cup carrots, diced
  • 2 teaspoon garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon oregano
  • 3 (14.5 ounce) cans Chicken Broth
  • 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 leftover ham bone
  • 1 cup diced ham
  • 2 Tablespoons lime juice
  • pinch of cayenne pepper

Instructions

  1. In a large pot or dutch oven cook bacon until done but not crispy. Remove from pot and set aside. Leave bacon grease in pot.
  2. Add onion, celery and carrots to bacon grease. Saute for 5 minutes.
  3. Add garlic, thyme, cumin and oregano to onion mixture. Cook for additional 5 minutes.
  4. Add bacon and mix well.
  5. Add chicken broth, rinsed black beans and ham bone. Cook for 2 hours over medium heat.
  6. Remove ham bone and cut off any meat still on it.
  7. Place ham in soup. Add cayenne pepper and lime juice and cook for 30 minutes longer.
  8. Serve immediately.

Notes

Nutritional Information is estimated, not exact.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 202Total Fat: 8.8gSaturated Fat: 2.9gCholesterol: 22mgSodium: 1138mgCarbohydrates: 14.2gFiber: 4.5gSugar: 2.3gProtein: 15.2g

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