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Home Soups

Ham and Corn Chowder with Potato

By:Nagi
Published:27 Dec '14Updated:30 Jan '19
111 Comments
Recipe v

This Ham and Corn Chowder is wonderful comfort food! A creamy soup broth, soft potato, juicy sweet corn and pops of golden brown ham is utterly irresistible and will warm your soul. Imagine coming home to this!

Ham and Corn Chowder in a French casserole pot being ladled out for serving.

It’s Saturday 27 December, 2 days after Christmas, so I bet there are millions (billions??) of households around the world having ham for lunch. Sure, you could throw together a ham sandwich with fresh bread (yay, shops are open today!), or a frittata using other leftovers from your Christmas Day feast.

Or you could do something a little different and make this chowder. 🙂

“You could make yet another grilled ham and cheese sandwich to use up all that leftover ham…..or you could make this hearty, creamy soup!”

Ham Potato & Corn Chowder - who needs bacon when you have ham? Super creamy, but made without cream!

Ham and Corn Chowder in small white soup bowls, ready to be eaten.

I’m a firm believer that for a soup to be a meal, it needs to be gutsy. And this soup is off the charts when it comes to oomph factor. It’s thick and chunky, creamy (without cream!!) and is one of those soups that is perfect for filling out even more with the addition of more vegetables (frozen diced vegetables are great!) or other leftover meats (think leftover turkey and chicken!).

Ham and Corn Chowder in a French casserole pot, ready to be served.

I bet you thought it was bacon when you first saw the photo! Nope, not a shred of bacon in sight. Honestly, when you fry up the ham and cook it nice and crispy like you would with bacon, it will make you wonder why you don’t cook with ham more often. All the flavour but so much healthier!

To finish things off, I have a rather sad announcement to make…..I have run out of leftover Christmas ham!!! I felt a bit of a pang when I used up the last scraps for this recipe because it seems to signify the end of Christmas….and having to wait another 363 days until the next one.

Soup Dippers

Quick Cheesy Garlic Bread • Better-Than-Dominos Garlic Bread • Soft No Knead Dinner Rolls

Bread Soup Dippers - Cheesy Garlic Bread, Garlic Bread better than Dominos and Soft NO KNEAD Dinner Rolls

For those of you who are lucky enough to still have a stash of Christmas Ham, here are some more suggestions for things you can make with it!

MORE THINGS TO MAKE WITH LEFTOVER HAM

Croque Madame Toastie Cups (Muffin Tin) – the best grilled ham and cheese you will ever have….

Croque Madame Muffin Tin Toastie Cup (French Ham Egg Cheese)

Ham and Cheese French Toastie Roll Ups – French Toast you can eat with your fingers!

Ham and Cheese Fresh Toast Roll Up 3

No Washing Up Egg, Ham and Cheese Bread Bowls – yes, you read that right, there is no washing up at all!

No Washing Up Ham Egg Cheese Bread Bowls 1

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Ham and Corn Chowder in a French casserole pot being ladled out for serving.

Ham and Corn Chowder with Potato

Author: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats
Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Total: 25 mins
Soup
4.94 from 29 votes
Servings3
Tap or hover to scale
Print
A hearty, creamy soup made using leftover Christmas ham (or store bought leg ham). Refer to Note 5 for a shortcut way of making this soup which will let you get this soup on the table in just 15 minutes. Make this a more complete meal by adding extra vegetables! I often add frozen diced vegetables - just add it when you add the corn into the soup. This serves 3 normal people or 2 very hungry people. It is a very filling soup!

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups ham , roughly chopped (Note 1)
  • 1/2 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 1 garlic clove , minced
  • 1 small onion , diced (or half large onion) (yellow, brown or white)
  • 2 potatoes , peeled and diced into 8mm / 1/3" cubes (Note 2)
  • 1 1/2 cups frozen corn (or drained canned corn)
  • 5 tbsp flour
  • 2 cups milk (I use low fat but full fat will work too)
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 1 1/2 - 2 cups water
  • 1 1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves (or 1 tsp dried thyme), plus extra for garnish
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • Black pepper

Instructions

  • Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.
  • Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes until translucent. Do not let the onion brown.
  • Add the flour and whisk until mixed through the butter. Pour 1 cup of milk in and whisk until it starts to thicken (around 1 1/2 minutes), then pour the remaining cup of milk in. Whisk until it thickens - around 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Then add the chicken stock, and 1 1/2 cups of water and whisk until combined.
  • Increase heat to medium high and add the potatoes into the soup. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes (Note 3), whisking fairly regularly to ensure the soup doesn't stick to the bottom of the saucepan. The soup will thicken as it cooks. Use the remaining 1/2 cup of water if the soup gets too thick before the potato has finished cooking.
  • Just before the potato has finished cooking, add the corn in (just to heat it through).
  • While the potato is cooking, heat olive oil in a small fry pan over high heat. Add the ham and sauté for 1 - 2 minutes until nicely browned. Remove fry pan from the heat and set aside. (Note 4)
  • When the potato is cooked (tender but still holding its shape), remove the soup from the stove and stir through most of the thyme and ham (reserve a bit for garnish).
  • If the soup is too thick for your liking, use water (or milk) to get the soup to your desired consistency. Add the salt and 5 grinds of black pepper, then do a taste test and adjust the saltiness if required.
  • Serve, garnished with remaining thyme leaves and ham.

Recipe Notes:

1. I used leftover Christmas leg ham. You can easily substitute with store bought ham. Use thick sliced ham - shaved ham will be difficult to pan fry.
2. Use potatoes around the size of a tennis ball. Any potatoes will work for this recipe. I am in Australia and I use the potatoes you buy that have dirt on them (Sebago). Russet is a good all rounder in the US that is perfect for this.
3. Small diced potatoes would only take a couple of minutes to cook in water. They take much longer in this soup because they are being cooked in soup that has been thickened with flour.
See Note 5 for a faster way to make this soup.
4. You could brown the ham in the saucepan before you sauté the onion. You will need to wipe the saucepan clean after cooking the ham otherwise your soup will end up with a brownish tinge from the brown bits stuck on the saucepan from cooking the ham. When I am feeling particularly lazy and I want a one-pot soup, I will make the soup this way.
5. Alternative Method: A much faster way of making this is to "par boil" the potatoes in the microwave. Just place scrubbed (but not peeled) whole potatoes in the microwave on high for 2 minutes, then turn over and microwave for a further 2 minutes. Use oven mitts or a dishcloth to remove the potatoes from the microwave, then peel and dice.
You can then omit most of the water from the recipe because when you add the potato into the soup, it only needs a couple of minutes to cook instead of 10 minutes (so you don't need the water to thin the soup out which then thickens in the time it takes to cook the potato). Just use a bit of water to get the soup to the consistency you want.
6. The soup thickens ALOT and quickly when it cools. Use water or milk to achieve your desired consistency when reheating.
7. Nutrition per serving.
Ham Corn Potato Chowder Nutrition

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 687gCalories: 463cal (23%)Carbohydrates: 60.3g (20%)Protein: 19.9g (40%)Fat: 16.9g (26%)Saturated Fat: 9.4g (59%)Cholesterol: 39mg (13%)Sodium: 1389mg (60%)Potassium: 1067mg (30%)Fiber: 6.3g (26%)Sugar: 14.3g (16%)Vitamin A: 700IU (14%)Vitamin C: 49.5mg (60%)Calcium: 230mg (23%)Iron: 4.1mg (23%)
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats.

 

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Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative!

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111 Comments

  1. Kelly says

    January 3, 2021 at 11:47 am

    5 stars
    Delicious! I made your ham for New Years, and used the leftovers for this soup. Both were amazing 🤩

    Reply
  2. Janette Buchanan says

    December 24, 2020 at 3:38 am

    5 stars
    This is fabulous!

    Reply
  3. Daphne Schreiber says

    April 27, 2020 at 2:56 am

    C An this soup be frozen?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      April 27, 2020 at 10:19 am

      Hi Daphne, yes it can! N x

      Reply
  4. Anne P says

    January 6, 2020 at 8:50 am

    5 stars
    So I made this today with our leftover Maple Glazed Ham from New Years Day. The flavour was amazing and so easy to put together. I added a diced carrot for some colour. Thanks Nagi for another wonderful recipe!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      January 6, 2020 at 10:26 am

      Sounds absolutely divine Anne!

      Reply
  5. Elizabeth Psihos says

    December 30, 2019 at 6:20 am

    This looks so delicious! I’m wondering if I can make it gluten free with corn starch instead of flour, but I’m not exactly sure how to do that?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      December 30, 2019 at 12:32 pm

      Hi Elizabeth, you sure can, just replace the flour with 2.5 tbls corn flour – N x

      Reply
      • Elizabeth Psihos says

        December 30, 2019 at 1:20 pm

        Thank you!!

        Reply
  6. PeggyB says

    December 29, 2019 at 4:11 am

    We love this soup so much that I make a double recipe after Christmas every year. I do have one comment. It would be helpful to have a weight given with the potatoes. I have some small Yukon golds and don’t know how many of those to use without a weight.

    Reply
  7. Jamie says

    May 24, 2019 at 2:47 pm

    5 stars
    Love love love your recipes and this soup on a cold day! Even my picky husband went back for more 😊 will need to make more next time! Thank you for sharing!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      May 24, 2019 at 8:04 pm

      That’s great!

      Reply
  8. Hollis Ramsey says

    April 17, 2019 at 4:19 pm

    5 stars
    i was reading a nice Cullen Skink recipe when i thought i’d like it with smoked sausage (andouille or Spanish spicy chorizo) since i have no smoked fish at hand. i need to use up milk and greenery (spinach, parsley, cilantro, celery, jalapenos, poblano, scallions), too, and frozen corn IS at hand! i’ll use a bunch of thyme sprigs tied with twine, and i’d like to use some of my Florida oranges (zest to garnish, peel for simmering, juice for mixing-in). i prefer to use chicken stock in place of water, and i have both whole milk AND heavy cream in my fridge. if i use the chorizo instead of the andouille, then instead of thyme, i’ll use smoked Spanish paprika, diced roasted red pepper, and more garlic; i’ll also omit the oil and much of the butter (making use instead of the chorizo fat already in the pan). so, thanks for the soup skeleton, Nagi — i just built my own body around it!

    Reply
  9. Betty Williams says

    January 15, 2019 at 10:56 am

    5 stars
    Absolutely fabulous!!

    Reply
  10. Betty Williams says

    January 15, 2019 at 10:54 am

    Omg! I made this Saturday for my husband and I. Today I finished it and yes, I love this soup!! Sharing with coworkers and family! Sooo good!!

    Reply
  11. Leanne says

    December 30, 2018 at 1:21 pm

    This recipe is fantastic. I subbed the chicken broth for homemade ham stock and was lucky enough to find frozen corn with jalapeno. I will definitely make this again!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      January 9, 2019 at 9:57 pm

      Sounds divine Leanne!

      Reply
  12. Alison says

    December 30, 2018 at 1:06 pm

    5 stars
    A very tasty recipe for using up leftover ham. Definitely a keeper. Makes more than 3 servings – more like 5. When I saw how much liquid I was about to put in the pot I cut it back by losing 1/2-1 cup of water (just 4 cups of liquid total) and cutting back to 4 TBS (1/4 cup) flour, but kept everything else the same. It was a nice chunky soup. Thanks for a great recipe!

    P.S. when seasoning to taste at the end I ended up adding an additional 1/2 tsp salt.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      January 9, 2019 at 9:58 pm

      Sounds great Alison!

      Reply
  13. Debbie says

    December 14, 2018 at 12:54 pm

    4 stars
    I added 1/2 tsp. Sweet basil, 1/2 tsp. Herbs de Provence and 3 T. Gorgonzola cheese to give it a little kick.

    Reply
  14. Laken says

    November 30, 2018 at 6:57 am

    Can you add all these ingredients to a crockpot and make it that way?

    Reply
    • Nagi Maehashi says

      December 5, 2018 at 1:08 pm

      I would cook it on low for 3 hours in a slow cooker ☺️

      Reply
  15. Keely says

    September 12, 2018 at 9:20 am

    5 stars
    Is serving size 1 cup?

    Reply
    • Alison says

      December 30, 2018 at 1:07 pm

      No – it’s at least 2 cups.

      Reply
  16. Christine Chan says

    August 13, 2018 at 12:51 am

    5 stars
    Adding the ham is interesting and it makes it a special dish. Simple and complete meal on its own.

    Reply
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