If you have a ham bone in the fridge, then you have the perfect starting point for making soups, especially with the chilly nights creeping up on us. All you need to do is chuck the bone into a pot and let it do its thing. It will give you so much flavor.
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I love making soups when the weather starts to get colder. You don't even really need a recipe, and if you use a ham base, then you can stretch a small amount of meat to feed an entire family. You can add things like beans, lentils, or any vegetables you have that are starting to turn.
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Either way you will end up with a big pot of warm comforting soup. You will easily find a recipe you will want to try here for chilly nights.
1) Classic Ham and Bean Soup
Ingredients
Method
- Drain and rinse the beans.
- Add all ingredients to a large pot.
- Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce heat.
- Cover and simmer for 2 hours, or until the beans are tender.
- Remove the bone and bay leaf. Shred any meat from the bone and stir it back in.
- Season with salt and pepper. I serve it with bread for dunking, while my kids pick out the onions.
This classic ham and bean soup is a one-pot meal. It's perfect for the nights when you really can't face lots of cleanup. You don't need precision at all with these types of soups.
Once you learn the basics, they are so easy to make.
You don't even have to use dried beans or soak them overnight. Using canned beans is more than okay and will save you hours. The great thing about using ham is it gives so much flavor.
It makes the soup taste like it has been cooking for hours. Not only will it give you enough soup for dinner, but you'll have plenty of leftovers for the next day too.
2) Slow Cooker Ham Bone Soup
Ingredients
Method
- I add the ham bone, broth, beans, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, and pepper to my slow cooker.
- I cover and cook on low for 8 hours, until the beans soften and the ham pulls from the bone.
- I remove the bone and bay leaf. Then I shred the ham, return it to the soup, and taste for seasoning.
- I serve it with warm bread. My kids may pick out the onions, but at least they eat the carrots.
I love my slow cooker, and it's a great gadget for making soups. It's also the best way to get as much flavor into your soup as you can. If you are busy and like to prep ahead, adding a leftover ham bone and vegetables to your crock pot guarantees that you'll have dinner ready for when you get home.
The slow cooker will do all the work and extract all the flavors from your ingredients, and when you get home, you'll have a great, nourishing, and healthy meal. The best part is it will feel effortless.
Crock-Pot 6 Quart Programmable Slow Cooker
Check Price3) Creamy Potato and Ham Soup
Ingredients
Method
- Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Cook onion for 4 minutes.
- Add potatoes and broth. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes, until tender.
- Mash some potatoes in the pot, leaving a few chunks for texture.
- Stir in ham, milk, cream, salt, and pepper. Warm for 5 minutes without boiling.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning. I serve it with crackers because hungry kids rarely wait patiently.
You will love this creamy potato and ham soup. It's perfect for using up any scraps of ham that you have in the fridge, as well as potatoes. Not only are the potatoes cheap, but they are filling, and everybody loves a good potato.
Making this soup extra creamy all comes down to just letting your potatoes soften and thicken the broth. You can use cream if you like your soup extra rich. Just be careful when reheating it.
Do this gently so that the soup doesn't split.
Let the ham bone do the work and provide all the savory and salty flavors. This one will help you clear out your fridge and give you something warm and comforting.
4) Split Pea Soup with Ham
Ingredients
Method
- Add all ingredients to a large pot.
- Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat.
- Cover and simmer for 1½ hours, stirring now and then, until the peas soften.
- Remove the ham bone and bay leaf. Shred any meat from the bone and return it to the pot.
- Add diced ham if needed. Taste and adjust the seasoning before serving.
I love split pea soup with ham. It may not be the prettiest to look at, but it's so tasty and full of flavor. It's perfect for cold and chilly nights.
It's amazing that you can make this from a leftover ham bone and dried split peas from your pantry. The peas will break down and give you a thick and creamy soup, and you don't even need to use a blender. Throw it all into a pot and let it simmer, and you will get a great stick-to-your-ribs bowl of soup.
Fantastic.
5) Ham and Corn Chowder
Ingredients
Method
- I melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. I add the onion and cook it for 4 minutes.
- I stir in the potatoes and broth. I simmer for 12–15 minutes, until the potatoes soften.
- I add the corn, ham, milk, half-and-half, salt, and pepper. I cook for 5–7 minutes, stirring often.
- I mash a few potatoes against the pot to thicken the chowder. I serve it with crackers before someone asks for cereal instead.
I'm a big believer in using staples from your pantry and your freezer. I hate wasting food, and this ham and corn chowder is a great example of how to do this. I like to always have either frozen corn or canned corn so that I can make this soup.
If you're tired and need something nourishing, using your leftover ham with some frozen corn and potatoes to make a soup is a massive plus. You don't have to go out to the grocery store. You don't have to stress.
You just need to throw everything into the pot and let it simmer away.
I'm a fan of chowder that's thick and chunky, because it feels more substantial, and I love the flavor the ham brings to the soup. It's fast, it's easy, and it will leave you satisfied.
6) Hearty Ham and Lentil Soup
Ingredients
Method
- Warm the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Stir in garlic, lentils, broth, ham, thyme, and bay leaf.
- Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, until the lentils are tender.
- Remove the bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper. I serve it with bread for dunking, while the kids quietly pick out the onions.
Lentils are an amazing ingredient. I always have them in my pantry. I keep dried and canned lentils whenever I need something quick and easy to make.
Lentils are always at the front of my mind. They cook really quickly.
To make this hearty ham and lentil soup, all you need to do is dump the lentils with some herbs, aromatics, and your ham leftovers, and you'll end up with something seriously tasty. This soup actually gets better as it sits in the fridge, so make a big batch, and you'll have dinner for the next 3 days. Adding the lentils also means it's protein-rich and will keep everyone feeling full.
7) Ham, Cabbage, and White Bean Soup
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Ingredients
Method
- I sauté the onion and carrots in a large pot for 5 minutes.
- I add the ham, cabbage, beans, broth, and thyme.
- I bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat.
- I simmer it for 25 minutes, until the cabbage softens.
- I season with salt and pepper, then serve it with crusty bread.
Cabbage is one of those underrated vegetables. Not only is it cheap, but it can last a long time in the fridge and is great for bulking up meals when you pair it with some creamy white beans and leftover ham. This soup is not only nourishing but substantial, perfect for dinner not just a starter or a side dish.
During the week, it's perfect for my "throw it all in" style of cooking. The cabbage will get sweeter as it cooks down, and the beans will get creamy and absorb all the flavor from the ham. Try serving this with a big thick slice of crusty bread for a satisfying dinner.
8) Cheesy Ham and Broccoli Soup
Ingredients
Method
- Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Cook the onion for 4 minutes.
- Stir in flour and garlic powder. Cook for 1 minute.
- Slowly whisk in broth and milk. Simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
- Add broccoli and ham. Cook for 8–10 minutes, until the broccoli softens.
- Lower the heat and stir in cheddar until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. I serve it with crackers while someone inevitably picks out the onions.
This cheesy ham and broccoli soup is a great recipe for getting your kids to actually eat broccoli, using the cheese trick to cover the flavor of the broccoli. As the soup cooks, the broccoli will turn soft, and then the cheese and ham provide a lot of the flavor and help to thicken everything into a comforting bowl of nourishing soup.
Don't feel guilty about needing to use cheese to ensure that you get broccoli into your kid's diet. This soup uses simple ingredients and only one pot, perfect when you need to make something without any extra added stress.
9) Ham and Wild Rice Soup
Ingredients
Method
- I rinse the rice and cook it according to the package directions.
- I melt the butter in a soup pot, then cook the onion, carrots, and celery for 5 minutes.
- I add the broth, ham, thyme, salt, and pepper. I simmer for 20 minutes.
- I stir in the cooked rice and simmer for 5 more minutes. Then I serve it hot.
This ham and wild rice soup can actually look quite fancy when it's finished, even though it requires little effort. I love the wild rice as it gives a nice chewy texture and it has a creamy mouthfeel, which makes it indulgent.
Even so, it's still a forgiving dump-and-go style soup. Don't worry if you don't have any carrots or celery. You can use whatever vegetables you have in the fridge.
The leftover ham is what will bring the majority of the flavor. Try this one for a slightly elevated and stress-free midweek dinner.
10) Tomato Ham Soup
Ingredients
Method
- I warm the oil in a large pot over medium heat. I cook the onion for 4 minutes, then add the garlic for 30 seconds.
- I stir in the tomatoes, broth, Italian seasoning, ham, salt, and pepper.
- I bring the soup to a gentle boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
- I serve it with grilled cheese or crusty bread while everyone is still mostly at the table.
When making this tomato ham soup, all you need is canned tomatoes. Fresh tomatoes are great, but they can go bad quite quickly and need a bit of preparation. Throwing a couple of cans into a pot with your leftover ham and some good broth gives you an easy meal in minutes.
The tomatoes and their acidity give good balance with the rich and salty flavor of the ham.
I always start making a pot of soup the same way, using onions, carrots, and celery, and then all I do here is add the canned tomatoes with the ham to build the rest of the flavor. It's one of those straightforward soups and helps you get dinner on the table quickly.
11) Ham and Navy Bean Soup
Ingredients
Method
- Drain the beans and add them to a large pot with the ham bone, broth, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and thyme.
- Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce the heat. Cover and simmer for 90 minutes, or until the beans are tender.
- Remove the bone and pull off any meat. Stir the meat back into the soup, then season with salt and pepper. My kids may pick out the onions, but they still eat the ham.
If you only have a small amount of leftover ham, then this ham and navy bean soup is what you need. It's the perfect way to take a small amount of protein and stretch it into a large pot of something that can give you multiple meals.
I like to keep navy beans in my pantry. They are quite mild, but they hold their shape and absorb a lot of flavor from the ham.
When you have all these sorts of ingredients in your pantry, then cooking can start to feel almost therapeutic and grounding rather than being full of stress. This soup is practical and satisfying and a regular in my kitchen.
12) Ham, Carrot, and Potato Soup
Ingredients
Method
- I melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. I cook the onion and carrots for 5 minutes.
- I stir in the flour, then slowly add the broth and milk.
- I add the potatoes, ham, and pepper. I bring the soup to a gentle boil.
- I reduce the heat, cover the pot, and simmer for 20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.
- I taste it before adding salt because ham usually brings plenty.
Carrots and potatoes are standard for soups and are always on my shopping list. Chop these up and add them to a pot with some leftover ham and you've got a foolproof dinner. You don't even have to worry about timing as the vegetables tend to soften at similar rates.
One-pot formats are all about minimizing stress and cleanup.
If you have anything that's starting to wilt in the fridge, like spinach or even peas or other vegetables, chuck them in as well. It's a great way of teaching you how to cook without a recipe. You will love this filling and reliable soup.
13) Creamy Ham and Noodle Soup
Ingredients
Method
- Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and carrots, then cook for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the flour and thyme. Cook for 1 minute.
- Slowly pour in the broth and milk, stirring until smooth.
- Add the ham and noodles. Simmer for 8–10 minutes, until the noodles are tender.
- Season with salt and pepper. I serve it with crackers while someone searches for the “good” spoon.
This creamy ham and noodle soup is perfect for kids. They love noodles, and it is a great way to guarantee that they will finish the bowl without complaints. This one is basically a homemade version of canned chicken noodle soup, but you are using your leftovers, and it is so much healthier.
I love how the creaminess helps to balance the saltiness of the ham.
Watch out for the noodles, though. They can soak up the broth, and if you're going to make this ahead of time, keep some stock back to help thin out the soup. This is great for using pantry staples and is easily adaptable.
14) Ham and Green Bean Soup
Ingredients
Method
- I add the broth, potatoes, onion, carrots, garlic, and thyme to a large pot.
- I bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 12 minutes.
- I stir in the ham and green beans. I cook for 10 to 12 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
- I season with salt and pepper, then ladle it into bowls before someone asks if we have pizza.
I love this ham and green bean soup, and it's a great way of using up leftover green beans. I like using these in soups as they hold their texture and don't go mushy. Throwing them into a pot with some leftover holiday ham is a great way to get a nourishing dinner, but also something different from boring old ham sandwiches.
If I have frozen green beans, I will use them too. You can't really mess up soups like these. Throw whatever you have together, and even if there's chaos going on around you, you'll still end up with something tasty for dinner.
15) Smoky Ham and Black-Eyed Pea Soup
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook the onion and carrots for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic and smoked paprika for 30 seconds.
- Add the ham, peas, broth, and bay leaf. Bring the soup to a gentle boil.
- Lower the heat and simmer for 25 minutes. Remove the bay leaf, then season with salt and pepper.
This smoky ham and black-eyed pea soup is one of those meals that builds itself, meaning you can get on with other things. All you need to do is let the ham and the peas simmer together, and you end up with a gorgeous, savory, comforting soup.
The black-eyed peas will get nice and creamy as they cook. This is one of those soups where you realize how much you can get from that leftover ham bone. It's hands-off and even tastes better the next day.
