Ham Bone Soup

Ham bone soup is simple and satisfying. Turn that leftover ham bone into something the whole family will love! Best of all, it takes just a few ingredients and a little time on the stovetop.

I love, love, love serving ham for the holidays. It’s easy on the cook and makes an impressive main course. Due to dietary concerns, though, I always de-salt it as seen in my method for Low(er) Sodium Ham. Being frugal (one of the meanings of Provident, BTW), after we feast on leftovers for a couple of days I cut the remaining ham into slices or dices to freeze and use later. But what to do with the ham bone, with a fair bit of meat left on it?

I’m embarrassed to admit that over many years I never found The One Recipe that would make good use of that lovely ham bone. Oh, I tried many things, but was never quite satisfied. Until recently.

Inspired by a lovely little soup that my sister served years ago, I started to work. In less than two hours I had a soup that complements the lovely smoky, salty flavor of the ham. While it contains no carbs that I know of, it’s quite filling and satisfying, too!

About the Ingredients for This Soup

The secret to this soup is layering flavors on flavors. Bacon is a key ingredient; it adds its own smoky, salty flavor and serves as a crisp, crunchy garnish. Cannellini beans, also known as white kidney beans, are tender, creamy, and mild. I’ve used canned cannellini beans here. If you’d prefer to cook them from scratch, use about one cup of dried beans and be sure to cook them according to the directions on the package.

Aromatics like onion and celery add their own flavors. Cabbage, an underrated vegetable in my book, adds a little sweetness that nicely contrasts against the ham. In addition to the ham bone, I typically add up to a cup of the diced ham from my freezer. This is up to you, and it depends on just how much meat you’ve left on the bone you’re using.

I always use a bay leaf to give a bit of background note to the broth, and a bit of thyme is nice too. Though my chief recipe taster is not fond of it, so I’ll leave it out the next time I make this.

How to Make Ham Bone Soup

This one’s so easy! Start by chopping the bacon, and sauté it in a large stockpot until it’s golden brown and crispy. While the bacon is frying, chop the onion and celery. Once the bacon is done, remove it to paper towels to drain, and remove all but a tablespoon of bacon drippings from the pot. Add the onion and celery and cook, stirring every so often, until the onion is translucent.

Now add the chicken broth and water, ham bone, diced ham, drained and rinsed cannellini beans, bay leaf, thyme, salt and pepper to the pot. Cover and bring to a light boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for about a half-hour; the ham should be falling off the bone at this point.

Remove the ham bone and set it aside to cool. Add the chopped cabbage to the pot and simmer just a few minutes. (I prefer the cabbage to be a little bit crunchy. If you prefer a softer texture, simmer about 10 minutes.)

Take the stockpot off the heat. When the ham bone is cool enough to handle, remove the remaining ham from it, dice to your liking, and add to the pot. Adjust the seasonings to taste. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with crispy bacon and chopped parsley if desired.

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