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!
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!”
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!).
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
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….
Ham and Cheese French Toastie Roll Ups – French Toast you can eat with your fingers!
No Washing Up Egg, Ham and Cheese Bread Bowls – yes, you read that right, there is no washing up at all!
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Ham and Corn Chowder with Potato
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:
Nutrition Information:
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!
Absolutely fabulous!!
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!!
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!
Sounds divine Leanne!
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.
Sounds great Alison!
I added 1/2 tsp. Sweet basil, 1/2 tsp. Herbs de Provence and 3 T. Gorgonzola cheese to give it a little kick.
Can you add all these ingredients to a crockpot and make it that way?
I would cook it on low for 3 hours in a slow cooker ☺️
Is serving size 1 cup?
No – it’s at least 2 cups.
Adding the ham is interesting and it makes it a special dish. Simple and complete meal on its own.