Don't toss that leftover ham bone; make a delicious hearty soup loaded with tender vegetables and ham instead. Super easy on in your crock pot or on the stovetop.
Introduction
So what to do with a ham bone from that holiday spiral cut ham? You can toss it or make soup. But let's change it up some from the traditional ham bone bean soup—more vegetables with fewer beans.
Inspired by an Allrecipes.com recipe called Ham Bone Soup, I have added multiple options to have your soup your way.
We have repeated this recipe many times since initially published in 2013 when we wanted more vegetables and fewer beans. It always puts a smile on our faces.
For other ham bone recipes, check out my popular Ham Bone and Bean Soup, or for a change of pace, you will love Puerto Rican Chuletón Soup AKA Xmas Ham BoneSoup. For leftover ham, use it up in a delicious way with Old Fashioned Scalloped Potatoes and Ham.
👨🍳How to make this recipe in a crock pot
- Prepare the ham bone by rinsing off any honey coating and time any large pieces of fat.
- Prepare the potatoes and vegetables.
- Place all ingredients in a large crock pot except the ham bone—mix well. Add the ham bone.
- Cook for 7 hours on low or 3 hours on high; remove the ham bone and strip off the meat. Discard the waste and add the meat back into the crock pot. Cook one more hour until all vegetables are tender.
- Serve hot. If you have time, refrigerate overnight and skim any fat off the soup the next day.
👨🍳How to make this recipe on the stovetop
- Prepare the ham bone by rinsing off any honey coating and time any large pieces of fat.
- Prepare the potatoes and vegetables.
- Place all ingredients in a large soup pot or a large Dutch oven except the ham bone—mix well. Add the ham bone.
- Bring it to a light boil, then decrease it to simmer and cover for 2 hours.
- Remove the ham bone and strip off the meat. Discard the waste and add the meat back to the pot. Simmer for an additional 30 minutes and until all vegetables are tender.
- Serve hot. If you have time, refrigerate overnight and skim any fat off the soup the next day.
🐖Ingredients
Ham Bone
Any ham bone with a fair amount of meat will do. You will need to get about 3 cups of shredded ham off the bone after cooking. I find anywhere from 2 to 4 cups works well.
If you are short on ham or want meaty soup, you can use chopped ham from another source, like a ham steak.
Honey Coated Ham: Many hams have a sugary coat. The sugary taste is not needed in the soup, and I think it would be "weird."
This sweetness needs to be reduced as much as reasonably possible. Trim or scrape off some, and then a good rinse should usually do.
Ham Hocks: The ham hock will add flavor but does not contain the same amount of meat. So if you use a ham hock, add some ham from another source. You want to have about 3 shredded or cubed ham cups, but between 2 to 4 cups will be fine.
Broth
Commonly low sodium chicken broth is used, but you can make your ham broth with water with a long simmer time in this recipe.
You can always add some chicken bouillon cubes if you want more flavor near the end of cooking. I also have a ham soup base that can add flavor if needed.
Potatoes
I like to use Russet potatoes for prolonged cooking, but all potatoes cook about the same. With Russets, peel first, but for thinner skin potatoes, you can leave the skin on the potatoes.
Vegetables
In addition to potatoes, the common vegetables are carrots and celery.
Other vegetables to consider are frozen corn or green beans that can be added at the start of cooking. Frozen peas could be added near the end of cooking. Use one cup of any of those vegetables.
There are some kidney beans in the recipe, but you may eliminate them or change them to black beans or a type of white beans.
Seasoning
Just garlic and pepper are good with all the other flavors. Some will add thyme or other herbs and spices.
Skip the red pepper if you don't want that slight touch of heat. Increase if you want more heat.
No salt should be added until the end of cooking, and then only if you are sure it needs salt.
❓FAQs
No, not until you are sure it is needed.
The salt could quickly get out of hand here. Ham has a lot of salt. Use low sodium broth and rinse the beans.
You want to have about 3 shredded or cubed ham cups, but between 2 to 4 cups will be fine. You can add ham from other sources if needed.
Yes, there is a lot of fat in a ham. If this is a concern (and it should be), refrigerate overnight and scrap the disgusting fat off the top, where it will solidify. Hopefully, you scraped some off with the sugar coating.
❄️Storage
If you have time, refrigerate overnight before the first serving of any ham bone soup. The excess fat will come to the top and become solid. You can then skim off that fat.
Refrigerate leftovers for 3 to 4 days or freeze for 3 to 4 months.
To reheat, thaw overnight in the refrigerator if frozen, then reheat on the stovetop or in a microwave.
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Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
There is more than enough ham on this bone. The chicken broth is an option, but just water works well.
Rinse the ham under running water to remove as much of any sugary coating as possible. Also, this is a good time to trim any fat that can be easily removed.
Chop two peeled potatoes, two peeled carrots, a medium onion, and two celery ribs. Feel free to vary the veggies.
Rinse one can of kidney beans—low sodium preferred. Beans are optional.
In a large crock pot, combine 6 cups water, 15 oz can diced tomatoes, 1 teaspoon pepper, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, and an optional ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes. Add the rinsed beans (optional) and the veggies, then stir to combine. You may use low sodium chicken broth if you prefer.
Add the ham bone and cook for 8 hours on low.
With about one hour left in the cooking, remove the bone and strip of meat.
Return the meat to the slow cooker.
Finish the 8-hour total cooking. You may now serve or refrigerate overnight and scrape off any solidified fat.
📖 Recipe
Ham Bone Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
- 1 ham bone with meat
- 2 carrots - diced
- 2 ribs celery - chopped
- 1 onion - medium chopped
- 2 potatoes - medium russet cubed
- 14 oz diced tomatoes
- 48 oz water - or low-sodium chicken broth
- 14 oz light kidney beans - drained and rinsed. Optional
- 1 bay leaf - optional
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper - optional
Instructions
- Rinse the ham under running water to remove as much of any sugary coating as possible. Also, this is a good time to trim any fat that can be easily removed.
- Chop two peeled potatoes, two peeled carrots, a medium onion, and two celery ribs. Feel free to vary the veggies.
- Rinse one can of beans. I used light kidney but did not have low sodium that would be preferred. Beans are optional.
- In a large crock pot, combine 6 cups water, 15 oz can diced tomatoes, 1 teaspoon pepper, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, and an optional ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes. Add the rinsed beans (optional) and the veggies, then stir to combine. You may use low sodium chicken broth if you prefer.
- Add the ham bone and cook for 8 hours on low.
- With about one hour left in the cooking, remove the bone and strip of meat. Return the meat to the slow cooker.
- Finish the 8-hour total cooking. You may now serve or refrigerate overnight and scrape off any solidified fat.
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Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- There are many options covered in the post.
- Your ham bone should have some meat on it. You may add other ham if you think you need to. You should have about 3 cups of meat but anywhere from 2 to 4 cups should work.
- Rinse and scrap very well to remove as much sugar as possible if you have a sugary coating. Also, remove fat that is easy to remove but don't obsess over the fat.
- Use all low sodium products and do not add salt unless you are sure you need it.
- I now use water for this recipe instead of chicken broth. You may use low sodium chicken broth or add some bouillon cubes when stripping the ham bone if you think it is needed.
- You may serve hot out of the pot or refrigerate overnight and scrape off any solidified fat.
Stovetop Instructions
Use the preparation and options of the crock pot version with the following cooking instructions.- Use a large soup pot or a large Dutch oven.
- After adding everything to the pot, bring it to a light boil. Then decrease to simmer and cover.
- Cook for 2 hours, remove the ham, strip off the meat, add the ham back to the pot, and simmer until all the vegetables are tender—about another 30 minutes.
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition Estimate
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Originally Published April 13, 2013. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
This recipe is featured in What to Do With Leftover Ham.
Kathy says
Loved it! Simple and nutritious. Used less broth and more water. Added Swiss chard. Basically emptied my fridge into the pot. Thanks. I will do it again.
DrDan says
Great to hear. I think soup should "empty the fridge"
Thanks for the comment
DrDan
donna says
I have had this ham bone for one week. I have been too busy to do anything with it. Is it still good to use to mak soup, or should i scrap it?
DrDan says
Hi Donna,
Since ham and the processing varies a lot, I have no answer. I generally freeze the bone if I want to use it later.
My general rule is when in doubt throw it out.
DrDan
Joan says
This is a wonderful soup. Being the lazy sort of person I first boiled the ham bone and while it was cooling I removed the grease from the water the water and prepared the veggies and let them sit in iced water while I washed and prepared dried beans and let them cook for about 30 minutes in about 4 cups of the water the ham bone was in added the veggies cooked on medium for 3 hours added the ham and cookked another 30 min. The ham remained flavorful and the beans and veggies absorbed the flavor. it was gteat
DrDan says
Looks great. Thanks for the variation.
DrDan
Trudith says
I searched high and low for a 'suitable' recipe for an inherited Ham Bone, I had already created my version when I, found this site. I used the "Bob's Red Mill" 13 Dry Beans for the soup. I washed them, rinsed, and pressure cooked them for 5 min. on high. Then let them sit for 1 hour in the cooker. I chopped the Onions (2), Carrots (2), Potatoes (2), 1 Roma Tomato, and Celery (3 stalks), sauteed them in Olive Oil, put beans first, then veggies, and the sauteed Ham Bone into the pot with 2 cups of H2O. I added a pinch of salt, Italian herbs, Pepper, and two Bay leaves. Then I added a 10 oz. can of Rotel Tomatoes & Chilies. This filled my 4 qt. 'slow cooker'. My Home is now fragrant with the odors of this Soup, cooking on high, and showing promise of a very delicious Soup.
I meant to get this done before Ash Wednesday, but today was the first time I had the energy and time to do it.
I know it is going to be delicious!
DrDan says
Sounds great. A good soup just makes the home smell great...
Thanks for the note and please report how it comes out...
DrDan
Janice says
This was a really good recipe. First time I made a soup with ham bone and it was great. My family is not
a fan of kidney beans so I didn't put them in. Thank you so much.
DrDan says
It is a shame that most of us (me included) have tossed the ham bone out. It should be used.
Thanks for the comment.
DrDan
Sue L. says
P.S. Using dried beans soaked overnight would also reduce the sodium level a decent amount. But adds an extra step.
DrDan says
Thanks for the notes...I have dry beans in the pantry and I have plans. I do think the salt level is highly variable in hams. I think try to decrease it as much as possible and you can always add some back later by taste.
DrDan
Sue L. says
After reviewing a couple of recipes to find a use for a leftover ham bone I decided to go with yours (in part because I liked its simplicity and in part because I had all the ingredients at home). Turned out very well - and we have tons of leftovers. As always, I did make modifications, which I share here:
1. Following comments about salt, I used 32 oz of low sodium broth and 16 oz of water.
2. Forgot to add the onion but it seemed okay without it (I wouldn't leave the onion out in the future).
3. Added 2 bay leaves and a large pinch of thyme. Used fresh garlic (2 cloves) and a fresh hot pepper (about a half), both chopped, instead of the garlic powder and pepper flakes.
4. At the same as adding the meat from the bone back to the soup, I also added some fresh chopped collards and spinach (about a cup), because I had them on hand. A little later I also added about 3/4 c. ditalini pasta. These additions increased the hardiness of the soup, I think.
Thanks for the recipe. It's a keeper (for those infrequent times I have a ham bone to use).
DrDan says
Thanks so much for the modifications, it should help others dive in.... How was the salt for you?
DrDan
Sue L. says
Salt level was fine. But the ham that provided the bone wasn't too terribly salty, as hams often are. Also, using low sodium broth and water helped, I think. As Boholistic Mom noted, I do think one could forgo broth altogether. In that case, I might increase the veggies and herbs a bit. Inspired by the origins of the recipe (per David Philipp), I might add a teaspoon or so of Herbes de Provence next time.
Susan says
Thanks. I like this recipe and everything you're saying makes sense. The "salt" thing is what I'm trying to avoid.
David Philipp says
One of our favorite recipes. Since we don't eat pork, we make it with smoked turkey you can get at Whole Foods and Amish markets.
Actually the recipe is from Provence in France, where it is called a "Garbure". Usually served with a crouton and shredded gruyere cheese which is browned under a broiler. A little red wine is poured into the remainder of the stew at the bottom of the bowl to finish it. (This information is courtesy of Jacques Pepin).
Also we use dry beans and soak overnight before starting the crock pot.
DrDan says
Thanks for the note. I like this soup a lot but the fat and sodium are issues. The smoked turkey would be a great substitute.
Also great stuff on the origin of this recipe.
Thanks
DrDan
Twila says
I have never really cared for traditional ham and bean soups, but I really liked this one, and it was a huge it with my family!
DrDan says
It is a "change of pace" so to speak. I do like a bean soup but I need to not do the same thing over and over.
Thanks for the note
Dan
DrDan says
Two suggestions. First read the comment from Boholistic Mom (up two). Skip all broth and just use water. That should help. My second suggestion is a water bath. Hams have variable about of salt so the amount of salt that will remove is also variable. Just cover with water and soak for a few hours. Do this in a refrigerator. You could rinse and repeat this several times allowing the water to pull more salt out of the ham. The ham would also pull some water in but we are making soup so do we care...
Also you are right, the soup mix didn't help.
Regard
DrDan
Neil C says
Very good but also very salty. I added a couple of tbls of chicken soup mix from a bulk bin. Maybe that was the source of the salt, I don't know but if I could delete some of the salt I'd definitely make it again. Suggestions?
Boholistic Mom says
When you are using a ham bone, you have no need for broth. You can actually make a broth with the ham bone by adding water instead. That way you leave out all the extra additives in the commercial broth and easily make your own in the crock pot as you go.
DrDan says
I do like that idea... I have a ham bone with my name on it at home now so I think a New Years cooking is in order. A recipe update may be in order soon.
Thanks
Dan
Ruth Hoernig says
I found your blog about six months ago and I really love your recipes, photos, and rating system. Made hambone soup today and it was just delicious. The only modification I made was to use only 32 ounces of broth and 17 ounces of Trader Joe's turkey gravy, because that's what I had.
Chris says
That reminds me...I have no clue what happened to my ham bone from the one we did before Easter. Time to dig into the freezer! I hope someone didn't throw it out, that would be criminal!
Dan Mikesell says
Many will just toss it because they have no idea what to do. But a few veggies and some broth and you can get a couple of nice meals with minimal work.
Jess says
This looks great! I had a ham not too long ago that I was unsure what to do with and this would have been wonderful. Can't wait to try this recipe, thank you for sharing. :)