Instant Pot Leftover Hambone Soup
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A simple, hearty, cozy soup recipe with the most flavorful broth. The perfect way to use up leftover ham!
Featured Comment
why i love this recipe
- Repurposes leftover hambone. This is a great recipe to use up that leftover holiday hambone, adding rich, smoky, salty flavors to the soup. Not to mention, the leftover ham chunks on the bone will add even more meaty flavors!
- Easy, no-fuss recipe. With the help of the Instant Pot®, there is zero babysitting and zero fuss. And the soup tastes as if its been simmering for hours on end, yielding the most flavorful ham broth.
- Cozy, soup goodness. We’re talking cozy, hearty, veggie-loaded goodness here, warming you from the inside out during these cold winter days.
- Freezer-friendly. Leftover hambone soup freezes and reheats very well, and can keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
what is hambone soup?
Hambone soup is a soup made by simmering a leftover hambone in water or broth, creating a rich, ham broth. From here, the soup is an incredibly versatile recipe, adding various ingredients on hand such as carrots, potatoes, beans and pasta.
why make hambone soup in the instant pot?
Bone broth generally takes about 12 hours of simmer time, but with the help of the Instant Pot®, the cook time is reduced substantially, yielding a rich, flavorful ham broth in just 30 minutes under pressure.
tips and tricks for success
- Use a leftover hambone from Christmas or Easter dinner. The Instant Pot® will help the hambone release gelatin, adding a velvety and luxurious texture to the rich, flavorful ham broth.
- 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!
- Mix it up. Use different vegetables such as green beans, broccoli or peas, skip the beans and add more potatoes (or use red beans instead), or add ditalini, macaroni or a small shape pasta for a heartier soup, using the simmer function until tender.
- Freeze leftovers. Hambone soup freezes beautifully, perfect to keep in your back pocket for a quick, cozy weeknight meal during the winter months.
pro tip
Yes, you can freeze a leftover hambone.
Not ready to cook with your hambone yet? Leftover hambone can be frozen for later use! To freeze, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place into a plastic freezer bag (to prevent freezer burn), squeezing out any excess air before sealing. Label, date and freeze up to 3 months.
Tools For This Recipe
6-qt Instant Pot®
Instant Pot Leftover Hambone Soup: Frequently Asked Questions
We have a stovetop recipe here.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Absolutely! Let cool completely; portion into plastic freezer bags in individual servings, squeezing out any excess air before sealing. Lay the bags flat in a single layer in the freezer (this will help them freeze quickly). To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge, reheating over low heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through.
Instant Pot Leftover Hambone Soup
Ingredients
- 1 leftover hambone
- 1 sweet onion, diced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 ½ cups leftover diced ham
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 russet potato, peeled and diced
- 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Equipment
Instructions
- Place hambone, onion and bay leaf into a 6-qt Instant Pot®. Add enough water to almost cover the bone without passing the max line of the insert, about 7 cups.
- Select manual setting; adjust pressure to high, and set time for 30 minutes. When finished cooking, quick-release pressure according to manufacturer’s directions; remove and discard hambone and bay leaf.
- Add ham, carrots, potato, beans, corn, garlic and thyme. Select manual setting; adjust pressure to high, and set time for 5 minutes. When finished cooking, quick-release pressure according to manufacturer’s directions. Stir in parsley; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve immediately.
Did you make this recipe?
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Can I just throw into slow cooker? Don’t own an Instant Pot.
Most definitely, but add a lot more time to the initial ham bone cook.
5 stars now because it was easy to follow and kind of fun! I just purchased an IP recipe book to put mine to good use, dont use it much but want to. I
dont have any parsley so, using cilantro ….this soup in place of chicken noodle for the sick kiddos! Got a few minutes to go
I made this recipe as my first IP recipe ever! It was so easy to follow. I did not make my own ham broth but instead used a box of chicken stock and it was a major hit in my home. I will keep making this anytime we have left over Easter or Christmas ham!!!
This soup was super easy to make and turned out great! I’ll definitely make it again!
After making this soup I found the broth to be too runny… I like a more thicker soup. So I strained out all the veggies, then added another drained can of cannellini beans to the broth and used an immersion blender to thicken up the broth. Then added the strained veggies back in and the soup was a lot thicker. The taste is great however Chungah!
I was about to give up on this recipe because I do not like beans at all. Until I saw your suggestion to mash down the beans and I can now enjoy this fabulous soup so thank you for the suggestion.
You could also use some ditalini (or other small) pasta in place of the beans, which is what I plan to do. Our house is NOT pr0-bean. Ha ha.
Could I add lentils instead of beans?
How does the flavor of this recipe compare to the stovetop version? Debating whether to try it out in the IP or try your original recipe. Thank you!
This is a great question. I guess you have to cook both and have your own comparison.
I am going to try both. I’m going to put the ham bone in the IP and cook it until the marrow comes out and then let it cool for the night. The next day I will make the stovetop recipe with the bone broth from the IP. I hope it is as delicious as everyone says!
I’m so hoping this will be a 5-star review after I make this tomorrow. I had to post however and give you a big thanks for a recipe that isn’t just another ham and beans. Don’t get me wrong, I love ham and beans but I was looking for something different and this sounds like a winner. I’m new to the IP world…I just got mine a week ago but you have become my go-to guru.
This is one of our very favorite soups! I am anxious to try the IP version, although the stove top version I‘ve been making was simple enough You have great recipes, Chungah!
This is one of my absolutely favorite soups. And I love soups! My husband looks for this every Christmas and Easter after we finish the ham dinner. Seriously, the ham broth MAKES this. My whole family (6 kids, ages 3-19) devours it. So good, and so glad I found this a few years ago.