Leftover Hambone Soup
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Make this leftover hambone soup with hearty vegetables, tender chunks of ham, and a rich ham bone broth. This ham bone soup recipe is cozy, filling, and the best way to use up a leftover ham bone from the holidays.
Why You’ll Love This HamBone Soup Recipe
- Repurposes leftover holiday hambone
- Makes for an amazing, flavorful ham stock
- Warm, cozy, hearty, hug-in-a-bowl vibes
- Great clean-out-the-fridge meal, adding in leftover vegetables and extra herbs
Tips for the Best Leftover HamBone Soup
- Use a leftover ham bone from Christmas or Easter dinner. Simmering the hambone in a Dutch oven extracts collagen and creates a flavorful ham stock that makes this soup rich and hearty. It’s the secret to the best hambone soup recipe.
- Add pasta. Add ditalini, macaroni or a small shape pasta for a heartier soup.
- Add in leafy greens. This is a great recipe to sneak in leafy greens for those picky eaters. Spinach, kale, collard greens, swiss chard, or arugula are all great options.
- Serve with crusty bread. Serve with all the homemade crusty bread for dipping, sopping and dunking!
- Freeze as needed. Hambone soup is a great recipe to freeze, perfect for a quick, cozy weeknight meal in the coming weeks. Always use airtight, resealable freezer bags, label, date and freeze up to 3 months.
Ham Bone vs No HamBone
You can make ham soup with or without the ham bone. Cooking with the bone gives the broth deep flavor and richness. If you don’t have one, use diced ham with chicken or vegetable stock to make a quick ham soup recipe.
Best Sides to Serve with HamBone Soup
Tools For This Recipe
Dutch oven – the best tool for simmering hambone soup slowly and evenly. It helps release all the flavor from the ham bone into a rich ham stock. Also great for making other holiday ham leftover recipes.
Dutch oven
Leftover Hambone Soup: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you make ham bone soup from scratch? Start with a leftover hambone, simmer for broth, then add vegetables, beans, and diced ham.
Yes, you can make ham soup without the bone. It won’t be quite as rich, but it’s still a great leftover ham soup recipe using diced ham, beans, and vegetables.
Absolutely! But because dried herbs are often more potent/concentrated than fresh herbs, you need less when using dry. The correct ratio is 1 tablespoon fresh herbs to 1 teaspoon dried herbs.
Yes, hambone soup can be made in the Instant Pot. Use your leftover ham bone, vegetables, beans, and stock. Pressure cook on high for 25 minutes, quick release, and stir in diced ham at the end.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Yes! You can freeze the leftovers in individual freezer bags, thaw overnight, and reheat on the stovetop.
The best bone for ham soup is a leftover holiday ham bone with some meat attached. It adds flavor and richness to the broth.
Yes, hambone soup freezes well for up to 3 months. Store in freezer-safe bags, thaw overnight, and reheat on the stove.
To thicken ham bone soup, simmer uncovered until it reduces, or stir in cooked pasta, potatoes, or beans.
Hambone soup will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days in an airtight container. For longer storage, freeze in portions for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat on the stove until hot.
Leftover Hambone Soup
Ingredients
- 1 leftover hambone
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 russet potato, peeled and diced
- 1 cup canned white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- ¾ cup frozen corn kernels
- ¾ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 2 bay leaves
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 ½ cups leftover diced ham
Equipment
Instructions
- Place leftover hambone in a large stockpot or Dutch oven and add enough water to cover the bone halfway, about 6-7 cups. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until very fragrant, about 30 minutes to 1 hour; set aside ham stock and discard hambone.
- Heat olive oil in the large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, carrots and potato. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions have become translucent, about 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in ham stock, beans, corn, thyme and bay leaves; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10-12 minutes. Stir in ham until heated through, about 1-2 minutes.
- Serve immediately.
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