With a creamy no-cream broth and crispy golden bits of ham, this is not your usual Ham Bone Soup!
If you’ve got a leftover ham bone, this soup will cost a pittance to make. It’s thick and hearty, loaded with tender beans and a surprising amount of vegetables. And the soup broth is full of real flavour that money can’t buy!!
Leftover Ham Bone Soup!
Ham bones are highly coveted in my circle . Each year, I gather as many as I can and stash them in my deep freezer.
The Christmas just gone, I went one step further and gifted several Glazed Hams under the guise of being a thoughtful friend.
In truth, those gifts came with the condition that I get the ham bone!! ? I’m completely shameless.
So hopefully, some of you stashed away your leftover ham bone in the freezer, just waiting for the right time to use it. For those that didn’t, don’t worry – this can be made with a store bought ham bone! ? (Here’s a photo comparison of store bought and leftover ham)
Not your usual ham bone soup
You’re probably used to seeing ham bone soups with a clear broth or sometimes, a tomato based broth. I really tried to get excited about those versions (and maybe it’s something that comes with maturity? ??♀️) but I just wanted something more.
Something different.
This creamy cream-less Ham Bone Soup with crispy golden ham bits is my idea of different. 🙂
The leftover ham bone
Here’s one of the ham bones that boomeranged back to me after gifting it. My friend was kind enough to leave plenty of ham on it. It weighed 1.1 kg / 2.2lb.
But if yours has been picked clean, don’t worry! You’ll still extract plenty of flavour from the bone and non-edible parts of the ham. Just purchase some extra ham meat to toss into the soup – or bulk up on more veggies instead!
How to make this creamy Ham Bone Soup
This Ham Bone Soup has a few more steps than those “chuck it all in the slow cooker” soups – and I promise it’s worth it:
- Ham Bone Broth & Fall Apart Ham – Slow cook the ham bone with carrot, celery and garlic PLUS dried beans (no soaking required). The beans cook in the same time as it takes for the meat to fall off the ham bone which is nice and convenient.
- If your ham bone is too big for your slow cooker, just take it to your butcher and ask them nicely to cut it in half for you. Or – dig out your saw! (Really)
- Beans – I have used dried great northern and cannelloni beans in this recipe. I haven’t tried navy beans but they should work well as they slow cook in the same time. This recipe really works best with dried beans because a) they soak up flavour as they cook; and b) they absorb some of the considerable amount of liquid required to mostly submerge the ham.
- Shred ham, pan fry half until golden – because golden crispiness equals more flavour and great texture!
The carrot and celery that was used to flavour the ham broth is pretty soft after 8 hours of slow cooking but in the spirit of this leftover recipe, I like to chop it up and throw it back into the soup.
Next steps, bringing it all together (numbers reference images below).
1. Saute onion, celery and carrots in same pan, soaking up all the leftover ham flavour!
2. Make the soup thickener by adding milk and cornflour/cornstarch into the pan. It will look thoroughly unappetising – like sludge* actually. Once the sludge* is mixed into the ham bone broth, it only requires a further 30 minutes in the slow cooker to thicken the soup broth.
Whereas if you mix cornflour into the whole soup broth, it can take 1 hour for the broth to thicken. After slow cooking the ham bone all day, I want my dinner on the table stat!
3. This step is the sludge* being scraped into the slow cooker, referred to above.
4. Add the ham (I hold back a bit to garnish the soup), the carrot and celery from the broth (see above); then
5. Add a bit of Vegeta or some kind of stock powder. Just something to give the broth a little flavour boost. This is a very big pot of soup and it’s a tall order to ask one ham bone to provide all the flavour. It needs a helping hand.
6. Add greens, thicken soup – I also like to add in a few handfuls of spinach just to get more greens into this soup. It wilts in the time it takes for the broth to thicken and come together which is perfect!
7. Slow cook 30 minutes on low (or about 20 minutes on high). Doesn’t need long – just long enough to bring the broth back up to heat which will activate the sludge* and thicken the broth.
* Sorry, I know the repeated use of this word is totally off putting, can’t think of a better word right now.
That’s a whole lot of writing for what is actually a fairly relaxing soup to make! ?
The nice thing about this recipe is that you can make it in stages. I made it a few times after Christmas 2018 and kept getting distracted mid-cook by important things like meeting friends at the beach, urgent Yum Cha outings etc.
So other than stopping midway through the slow cooking of the ham bone, you can pretty much stop at any point in this recipe, then take it up again when it suits.
End result was always just as good!! ~ Nagi x
PS The other truly great use of leftover ham bone – Chinese Ham Bone Congee. 3 Ingredient magic!
Soup Dippers
Quick Cheesy Garlic Bread • Better-Than-Dominos Garlic Bread • Soft No Knead Dinner Rolls
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Slow Cooker Ham Bone Soup
Watch How to Make It
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Slow Cooker Ham Bone Soup with Beans
Ingredients
Homemade Ham Broth:
- 1 leftover ham bone OR store bought ham hock / meaty bone (~1.2kg/2.4lb) (Note 1)
- 2 carrots , peeled cut into 3 chunks
- 1 celery stalk , cut into chunks
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 3 sprigs thyme or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1.5 - 2 cups (285 - 380g) dried white beans , no need to soak (Note 2)
- 2 litres / 2 quarts water (8 cups)
Ham Bone Soup:
- 2 tbsp (30g) butter or oil
- 1 onion , chopped
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 3 celery ribs , chopped
- 2 carrots , chopped
- 2 cups (500ml) milk, any fat %
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) Extra Milk
- 1/3 cup (50g) cornflour / cornstarch
- 2 tsp Vegeta or other stock powder (Note 3)
- 60 g / 2 oz baby spinach (Note 4)
Instructions
Ham Broth:
- Place the Ham Broth ingredients in the slow cooker. Slow cook for 8 hours on low, or 4 hours on high.
- Remove ham bone. Shred meat and discard bone. Return half the ham to the slow cooker (remainder is pan fried).
- Discard thyme sprig.
- Remove then chop carrot and celery, return to slow cooker.
Crispy Ham:
- Melt 1 tbsp butter in a skillet over medium high heat. Add half the ham and cook until golden and crispy.
- Transfer most to slow cooker - hold back a few for garnish.
Soup Thickener:
- In the same skillet, melt remaining butter. Add onion and garlic, cook 1 minute.
- Add celery and carrot, cook for 3 minutes until soft.
- Add 2 cups milk, stir.
- Mix cornflour and Extra Milk. While stirring, pour into skillet. Mixture will thicken quickly.
- Once very thick and paste-like, scrape into slow cooker.
Finish Soup:
- Add Vegeta into slow cooker. Stir to dissolve paste.
- Add spinach, push down into liquid.
- Slow cook 30 minutes on low or 20 minutes on high until spinach is wilted and broth is heated and slightly thickened.
- Serve garnished with crispy ham and a sprinkle of parsley, if desired!
Recipe Notes:
- Soup colour will differ depending on your ham bone. More skin (leathery brown stuff) = browner broth (and more flavour) = off white soup. Less skin = whiter soup.
- Soup is not intended to be a really thick soup as I find it makes it too heavy (it's quite rich). But if you want a thicker broth, simply add more cornflour/cornstarch mixed with equal amount of water/milk - add a bit at a time, as soup heats it will thicken. 6. Storage - store in fridge for 3 to 4 days. If you freeze, cornflour will lose it's thickening power so you'll need to add more when reheating to re-thicken soup (see Note 5). Works perfectly, I tried it. 7. Nutrition is a guide only. It's virtually impossible for a non-scientist to calculate the nutrition in the ham bone broth, I've done my best!
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
This morning. Life life to the max!!
In the States, Honey Baked Ham stores have a BOGO special on ham bones through Jan 20th. $3.00 (US) per bone!
Time to stock up Nat!!!
Hi Nagi! This looks amazing. Is there any alternative to beans (the family has some allergies) – would chickpeas work for instance?
Yes definitely Jessica – The texture is slightly different but they will work fine!
Fantastic! I did not add milk/cornstarch. I will always use this method to cook beans from now on. No gas or bloating and very creamy/tasty. Thank you!
Wahoo! That’s great Erin!
Thanks Nagi…being a pea and ham soup fan for years, ham and beans soup is the next level. Great recipe. Is there another way to thicken soup without changing flavour profile to much rather than
corn flour…for a diabetic.
Hi Risky, I would just leave it out completely – N x
im about to make this but I always use potato in ham bone soups and like nagi love my fresh greens go nagi shes the best
Any suggestions for how to make this in a pressure cooker/Instant pot instead of slow cooking it?
Hi Jessica, I would think it would take around 30 minutes in a pressure cooker – N x
Nagi, this is an OUTSTANDING pot of ham & beans! Forgot the veggie power/bouillon, didn’t need it. The whole clan ate the pot bare, and wanted more….. this soup had the umami my soul was craving. The savory & sourness of the broth, the sweetness of the veggies, saltiness of the ham (slow cooked & fried crunchy) along with the bitterness of the spinach was truly to die for. This will be a favored bean soup recipe in my home. Thank you for making it possible to make a foolproof bean soup. You made it so easy for a home chef to make. The best. Thank you
Sounds like you nailed it Mo, I’m so happy it was a hit in your home ❤️
Nagi:
The other night my daughter and boyfriend were over for supper.
We had a lovely prime rib.
I made the rue for the gravy using your method here for the soup.
From now on I will never thicken gravy any other way.
It was fantastic!
Thank you so much for sharing this method.
You’re so welcome Charlie!!
Nagi this soup was DELICIOUS!! Wow, what flavor! I had some in the freezer and after a long, cold day it was absolutely perfect. Thank you!
Perfect for a cold day!!
Nagi!
I made your soup today and had it for supper.
I didn’t have a ham bone, but I did have some ham stock, so used that.
Delicious!
Thanks so much for sharing.
This recipe is definitely a Keeper!
I’m so glad you loved it Charlie!!
Nagi you have out done yourself with this delightful soup ! I love how you fried the ham to give it the extra boost 💕Fantastic for -9 degree weather , thank you very much for posting ! Family loves it !!
Perfect for a cold day Kim!
Loved the soup.
I made it in the slow cooker the ham hock was pretty tough as was the veg,I stuck to the times but to no avail I ended up putting it in a large pot.
Will do it again and put in a big pot.. I’ll leave out the slow cooker
Hi Steve, sounds like the ham just needed longer until it got to that soft stage where it’s fall apart.
Delicious
I’m so happy you love it Cathy!!
I made a change to this recipe by omitting the milk because i prefer broth. It was good and creamy but a little sweet…I guess because of the number of carrots used. Next time, I will reduce the number of carrots.
Wow, this was an amazing recipe Nagi, thank you! I’ve made many ham and bean soups but the flavor on this one is truly the best!
Woot! Thanks so much Liz!
Yum yum, now I have 2 reasons for wishing it was winter already (42C here right now) 🙁 Which beach do you take Dozer to? When we left the northern beaches for a tree change 30 years ago, the beaches were all being closed to dogs. We still visit Narrabeen regularly and would love to give our Missy the experience of a salty wet dip – as opposed to the muddy one she gets in our dam 😛
Hi Beth, Bayview has an off leash dog beach at Rowland Reserve that’s amazing!
Brilliant, thank you. We’ll be up there again in a couple of months & will head to Bayview to see what a farm dog makes of the coast :). By the way, your recipe for Char Sui is spreading like a wildfire around our local markets since I gave the link to the lovely Chinese girl at the fruit stall – she says it’s better than the one her granny makes 😉
I may see you there!! Woah better than Granny’s Char Siu… now that’s saying something! 😍
Wow weee, Dozer is HAPPY! You can have soup and I’ll have the bone. YUMI! I would use hips of mix herbes to flavoured soup. And INSTAD sludge would pure cooked beans and roasted zucchini. And you know that Europians use old bread, toasted rub garlic put at the bottom of plate top up with soup and go for your life. As for me with that soup am always piggy ….. Have good weekend! We are having STINKER ON MONDAY.
Sounds fab Vera, I’ll have to give it a go! Hope you’re not suffering too much in the heat this week ☀️