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Hambone Soup from Leftovers

Hambone soup is a light, delicious and nutritious soup that uses up holiday leftover ham and veggies. Naturally cured ham, fresh vegetables and white kidney beans combine with chicken stock and fresh spices for a fragrant, tasty meal. This is a High-​Fiber, Low-​Fat, Dairy-​Free, Gluten-​Free meal. Add some homemade rolls for cozy winter comfort food.

Hambone Soup

Delicious hambone soup uses up leftovers for a scrumptious, cozy meal

Our family Christmas party happened the day after Christmas this year. As often happens, we had way too much food, mostly goodies, and all the leftovers are sitting around my counters calling me. My stomach feels leaden from all the delicious heavy, richness I have overindulged in this week! A light healthy soup sounds heavenly today. So I’m making one!

My mom brought us a lovely spiral cut ham with the bone in for our meat entrée. She bought a naturally cured ham with no preservatives or nitrates, from local Hempler family farms. We loved it! The hambone sat buried in slices of honey flavored ham bits and slices until today. Now I’m ready to make hambone soup!

Our greenhouse tomatoes are sitting around our counters so into the stock pot they go! Some of them are still green but they will be lovely in the soup.

Fresh Tomatoes

green and red tomatoes from the greenhouse. Last of them!

Dave pulled all of the tomato and pepper plants out in the greenhouse so he could work on the raised beds. He’s installing a watering system! I’ll post about that soon. In the meantime, my counters have peppers that need using so some of them are making hambone soup.

Recipe notes on Hambone soup:

The Rotel tomatoes and fresh peppers add a bit of spicy zing to the otherwise very tame soup ingredients. Let your imagination go and try a bit of your favorite spices in this soup. Smoked paprika or sweet mesquite may also work very well with the ham! Cajun? Indian curry? Getting dangerous at this point. I played it safe today and stayed with a soup I knew would be reliably delicious. Hambone soup has to compete with a lot of other great food this week at our house.

Greenhouse Peppers

Fresh greenhouse peppers at Christmas. Love that!

Fresh spices add needed flavor. Thyme and bay leaves both compliment the hambone flavor in this soup. If you don’t have fresh; just put in dried!

Fresh Thyme

Fresh Thyme from my thyme plant

Homegrown Bay Leaves

Homegrown and dried bay leaves from Brigitte’s Bay leaf tree

Making Hambone Soup

A meaty hambone and whatever vegetables you prefer… add some chicken stock to cover the bone and set on simmer for a couple of hours until the meat falls off the bone.

Add some frozen organic corn, Rotel tomatoes and a can of stewed Italian flavored tomatoes. Now simmer until the meat falls off the bone. My soup is coming alive! About an hour before the soup is done I removed the bone(dogs were very happy to take it outside); added in three diced, medium russet potatoes and two cans of white kidney beans. I simmered it another hour. While the soup simmered I made homemade dinner rolls.

Homemade Dinner Rolls

Homemade Dinner Rolls. A  perfect finishing touch to this soupy meal.

A perfect finishing touch to a light meal. Very welcome after so much heavy food this week!

 

Hambone SoupHambone Soup

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:

184 CALORIES/serving

Fat:           1 g

Carbs:    37 g

Protein: 10g

Hambone Soup
Yield: 10 servings

Hambone Soup

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 day 16 hours
Total Time: 1 day 16 hours 30 minutes

Hambone soup is a light, delicious and nutritious soup that uses up holiday leftover ham and veggies. Naturally cured ham, fresh vegetables and white kidney beans combine with chicken stock and fresh spices for a fragrant, tasty meal. This is a High-​Fiber, Low-​Fat, Dairy-​Free, Gluten-​Free meal

Ingredients

  • One meaty hambone
  • 3 medium carrots-peeled and diced
  • 2 fresh diced mild peppers
  • I onion diced
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 to 3 Cups fresh tomatoes chopped small, ( may be green)
  • 1 can Italian stewed tomatoes
  • 1 can Rotel tomatoes
  • 2 cans beans, I used white kidney beans
  • 2 12 oz. cans chicken broth
  • 3 russet potatoes chopped small
  • Several sprigs of fresh thyme
  • 3 bay leaves
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Place hambone in a large stock pot or crock pot. Add the chicken broth, rotel tomatoes, Italian tomatoes, and veggies except the potatoes and white kidney beans.
  2. Add the thyme and bay leaves.
  3. Simmer on low for 2 to 3 hours until the meat falls of the bone.
  4. Remove the bone and chop up the larger meat chunks into the soup to bite sized pieces.
  5. Remove hard fat or gristle as desired.
  6. Add the potatoes and kidney beans and simmer another hour.

Notes

Serve with crusty rolls or artisan bread

Nutrition Information


Amount Per Serving Calories 184

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Hambone Soup

Use that Leftover Ham Bone - Shiralee Organic Meats

Wednesday 28th of December 2016

[…] style Tomato and Ham Soup also works […]

Debra @ Bowl Me Over

Sunday 3rd of January 2016

Love soups made with hambone - makes the very best flavor!! Thanks for sharing with us at #TryaBiteTuesday - come back and share again this week - we'll start a new party tomorrow evening! I've done some sharing of your delicious recipe to pass the word!

homemadefoodjunkie

Sunday 3rd of January 2016

Thank you so much Debra! Looking forward to the party next week!

Elizabeth

Monday 28th of December 2015

What a lovely, proper comfort food sort of soup! Those rolls look super too!

homemadefoodjunkie

Monday 28th of December 2015

Thank you Elizabeth!

Linda (Meal Planning Maven)

Sunday 27th of December 2015

So full of great taste and no doubt tummy-warming too!

homemadefoodjunkie

Sunday 27th of December 2015

Yes indeed Linda! A wonderful, comforting warm soup of leftovers! We love eating like this!

justine @ Full Belly SIsters

Sunday 27th of December 2015

this looks so hearty and wonderful! love the balance of fresh produce and leftover ingredients.

homemadefoodjunkie

Sunday 27th of December 2015

Thank you Justine. It's a tasty soup!

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