Leftover Ham Soup with Kale, Potatoes, and White Beans

Leftover ham? Don’t mind if I soup! Today’s Leftover Ham Soup with Kale, Potatoes, & White Beans is hearty & filling.

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Are you serving ham for the holidays (or any days)? Make sure to save the ham bone and use it to make the broth for a huge pot of filling & flavorful soup the next day! You can use whatever veggies you have on hand to cook up your own take on leftover ham soup, but here’s the version I made with the ham bone from my own Crock-Pot ham this week: Leftover Ham Soup with Kale, Potatoes, and White Beans.

(I like adding kale to a ham- or sausage-based soup; it stands up well to the stronger, saltier flavors. If you’re not a huge fan of kale, though, try spinach instead.)

This recipe makes a huge pot of soup, which is perfect for easy lunches all week because it reheats quite nicely (although the kale will get a little soggier as time goes on). Save yourself some time and effort and avoid all the chopping and rinsing by picking up a big bag of organic, washed, and ready to go chopped kale — $3.49 for 12 oz at my ALDI, and this soup only used half the bag!

Leftover Ham Soup with Kale, Potatoes, and White Beans

Ingredients

– for the ham broth

A leftover ham bone (maybe from Crock-Pot ham?)
1/2 a medium yellow onion, cut into chunks
Water (enough to cover)
1 bay leaf
Black pepper
1 tsp thyme

– for the soup

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
8 cloves garlic, chopped
1 lb yellow or red potatoes, diced
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
Ham bone broth (about 10 cups)
Three 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes (I used one basil garlic and two plain; whatever you have on hand)
2 cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups chopped cooked ham
Black pepper, to taste (be generous!)
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp basil
6 oz chopped kale leaves

Directions

For the ham broth

After carving your ham, place the meaty leftover ham bone in the bottom of your slow cooker. Add enough water to cover, plus all other broth ingredients. Simmer on low overnight (8-10 hours), then strain the broth into a large bowl.

Cover and refrigerate ham broth until ready to use. Right before making the soup, remove the broth from the fridge and skim off the layer of fat that will have formed on top — this will help make your soup much less greasy.

For the soup

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot or Dutch oven until shimmering. (I’m not kidding about the large — this recipe pretty much filled my entire 7 quart Dutch oven.) Add onion and celery and saute over medium heat for two minutes.

Stir in garlic, potatoes, and crushed red pepper and continue to saute for another five minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

Stir in broth, beans, ham, tomatoes, pepper, smoked paprika, parsley, basil, and oregano and bring to a boil. Skim if necessary, stir, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover pot, and simmer covered for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Stir in kale and simmer uncovered for another 5 minutes. (If you prefer your kale more tender or less visible, chop more finely and simmer a little longer…)

Serve soup topped with shredded or grated Parmesan (optional).

Note: Don’t add salt, even if you usually do when making soup — this soup is plenty salty already from the ham.

Comfort food in a bowl, anyone?

Filling and full of veggies and flavor, this leftover ham soup with kale, potatoes, and white beans hits the spot — and warms you up on a cold winter’s day! This soup recipe is also a great way to use up some leftover ham, and is naturally gluten free (as long as your ham was).

Leftover Ham Soup with Kale, Potatoes, and White Beans, printable recipe

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Leftover Ham Soup with Kale, Potatoes, and White Beans

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This recipe makes a huge pot of soup, which is perfect for easy lunches all week because it reheats quite nicely (although the kale will get a little soggier as time goes on).

Total Time 9 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings 10

Author Rachel Singer

Ingredients

– for the ham broth

• A leftover ham bone
• 1/2 a medium yellow onion, cut into chunks
• Water (enough to cover)
• 1 bay leaf
• Black pepper
• 1 tsp thyme

– for the soup

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 8 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 lb yellow or red potatoes, diced
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
• Ham bone broth (about 10 cups)
• Three 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes (I used one basil garlic and two plain; whatever you have on hand)
• 2 cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups chopped cooked ham
• Black pepper, to taste (be generous!)
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp parsley
• 1/2 tsp basil
• 6 oz chopped kale leaves

Instructions

For the ham broth

• After carving your ham, place the meaty leftover ham bone in the bottom of your slow cooker. Add enough water to cover, plus all other broth ingredients.
•  Simmer on low overnight (8-10 hours), then strain the broth into a large bowl.
• Cover and refrigerate ham broth until ready to use. Right before making the soup, remove the broth from the fridge and skim off the layer of fat that will have formed on top — this will help make your soup much less greasy.

For the soup

• Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot or Dutch oven until shimmering. (I’m not kidding about the large — this recipe pretty much filled my entire 7 quart Dutch oven.) Add onion and celery and saute over medium heat for two minutes.
• Stir in garlic, potatoes, and crushed red pepper and continue to saute for another five minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
• Stir in broth, beans, ham, tomatoes, pepper, smoked paprika, parsley, basil, and oregano and bring to a boil. Skim if necessary, stir, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover pot, and simmer covered for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
• Stir in kale and simmer uncovered for another 5 minutes. (If you prefer your kale more tender or less visible, chop more finely and simmer a little longer…)
• Serve soup topped with shredded or grated Parmesan (optional).

Notes

Don’t add salt, even if you usually do when making soup — this soup is plenty salty already from the ham.

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