Ham and potato soup is a creamy, delicious way to use leftover Christmas ham. It’s a thick, hearty soup – perfect for cold Winter nights by the fire. This simple soup will satisfy your soul, and will make you warm and cozy inside. I hope you enjoy the recipe as much as I do.
Ham and Potato Soup Recipe
Ham and Potato Soup
Equipment
- medium stockpot
- large stockpot or Dutch oven
- cutting board
- kitchen knife
- cheese grater
- whisk or wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 4 cups russet potatoes – peeled and diced into ¼ inch cubes
- 4 cups chicken stock
- ¼ cup butter – or vegetable oil
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup onion – finely chopped
- ½ cup celery – finely chopped
- 1 cup cooked ham – diced into ¼ inch cubes
- 1 clove garlic – minced
- 1 tsp kosher salt – more to taste
- 1 tsp black pepper – more to taste
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 tbsp chives – or green onions, chopped
- ¼ cup cheddar cheese – freshly grated
Instructions
- Add chicken stock and diced potatoes to a medium stockpot and bring to a boil.
- Add butter or oil plus flour to a heavy bottom saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Whisk until a light roux is formed.
- Add onions and celery to the roux. Sauté until tender.
- Add the diced ham and garlic. Sauté for 1-2 minutes, or until garlic is aromatic.
- Add the salt and pepper. Stir and sauté until potatoes are fork tender.
- Add the cooked potatoes and hot chicken stock to the roux mixture. Bring to a boil.
- Add the hot milk, then reduce heat to simmer.
- Simmer, stirring occasionally until soup is thickened to your liking.
- Stir in the chopped chives or green onions. Adjust seasonings.
- Serve hot topped with grated cheddar cheese.
PRIVATE NOTES
Nutrition
More Information
Wondering what to do with all of that leftover Christmas ham? Ham and potato soup is a perfect use for it. This simple soup is easy to make, and tastes wonderful.
Don’t forget the bread!
This delicious soup pairs perfectly with hot buttered French baguettes. Knobs of warm bread will help you sop up every bit of delicious soup.
Tips
Don’t overcook the potatoes. The potatoes should be fork-tender, but not falling apart. If you boil them too long, the soup will have a grainy texture and be more like soupy mashed potatoes. Cook the potatoes right, and you will have nice soft chunks of ham and potato in every bite.
Variations
Using butter in your roux will impart a richer, creamier flavor. But vegetable oil will also work just fine. Instead of whole milk you could use half-and-half, or even heavy cream. This would make an extra creamy (and calorie rich) soup. Instead of chicken stock, you could use water with added chicken bouillon cubes.
Keeping
The soup is best when freshly made, but will keep for a few days covered in the refrigerator. It will keep for several months in the freezer. It’s a perfect soup for a quick meal – just defrost and reheat on the stove when you are ready to eat it. Add a splash of chicken stock to thin it back out if necessary.
Nutmeg
Please resist the urge to add cutesy ingredients like nutmeg. I’ve seen many recipes that call for nutmeg, which is a sure way to ruin just about anything you add it to. Keep your nutmeg for hot chocolate or maybe pumpkin pie. Put it way to the back of your spice cabinet so you are not tempted to use it anywhere it doesn’t belong.
Related Recipes
French Baguettes
Broccoli Cheese Soup
Cream of Mushroom Soup
Chicken Noodle Soup
Chicken and Rice Soup
French Onion Soup
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