Vegetable Soup with Ham

Vegetable Soup with Ham is a hearty, comforting dish brimming with fresh vegetables, leftover ham, tender pasta, and aromatic herbs, all simmered in a savory broth. This soup recipe can easily be customized to suit your taste buds!

A shallow bowl of veggie soup with leftover ham and crackers.

Leftover Ham Soup

You know we’ve just celebrated a holiday when leftover ham soup hits the table. I mean, what else should we do with all of the leftovers from the biggest meals of the year? Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. One can only eat so much turkey, ham, potatoes, green beans, pretzel salad, and dinner rolls – right?

I know it’s not just me when I say that leftovers are the best party of holiday meals. But we love turning them into other delicious meals like Turkey Rice Soup, Cheesy Potato Pancakes, Ham and Gruyere Quiche, and Leftover Turkey Rice Casserole.

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Why This Recipe Works:

  • A GREAT USE OF LEFTOVER HAM – Got leftover ham? Make this yummy soup. If not, just buy thick cut ham at the grocery store and make it anyway!
  • LOADED WITH VEGGIES – We use a combo of fresh veggies, including onions, carrots, celery, yellow potatoes, garlic, and zucchini. You could also add others like mushrooms, green beans, peas, or corn. Make it your own!
  • FULL OF FLAVOR – The combo of the salty ham, nutrient rich veggies, pasta of your choice, and seasonings make this a repeat recipe here. You’ll love the texture and flavor.
Side view of two bowls of vegetable soup with ham.

What You’ll Need:

  • Ham Bone – We always save the ham bone from our holiday feast. You can freeze it too along with some leftover ham.
  • Olive Oil
  • Veggies – Any combo of veggies works well. Just use your favorites!
  • Seasonings – We went pretty heavy on the seasonings for flavor but add and subtract as you like.
  • Broth – While we used lower-sodium chicken broth, you could add some beef broth or a combo of broth and water.
  • Leftover Ham – The leftover ham is the star of the show in this delicious soup.
  • Pasta – Any type of pasta works. We used bucatini and broke it into smaller pieces.
Labeled ingredients for the soup.

How to make Vegetable Soup with Ham:

Step 1
Cook ham bone. Place a ham bone (if you have one) in a stock pot. Cover with chicken broth (or use a combo of broth and water). Simmer on medium heat for about 30 minutes.

Remove the ham bone to a cutting board. Cut any visible ham off of the bone and discard bone. Then strain the broth and set aside.

A cutting board with the ham bone plus ham chunks.

Step 2
Sauté veggies. Heat the stockpot to medium-high heat. Add olive oil and the chopped veggies – onions, carrots, celery, and potatoes. (Wait until later to add the zucchini.) Cook veggies until slightly softened. Add seasonings (oregano, thyme, red pepper flakes, onion powder, salt, and pepper) and the minced garlic. Stir for a couple of minutes.

Step 3
Add broth. Then add the reserved broth plus more (you’ll need 8-10 cups total) and the bay leaves. Bring to a rolling simmer. The potatoes should be close to fork tender.

Step 4
Add ham and pasta. Add the leftover ham (from the ham bone plus the four cups) and pasta to the pot and continue to cook until pasta is just tender (aka al dente).

A pot of the soup after adding in the ham and noodles.

Step 5
Add zucchini. Add the chopped zucchini to the soup and cook for just a few minutes. Zucchini cooks very quickly so don’t cook it very long.

Step 6
Serve. Serve ham and vegetable soup with extra black pepper and crackers or crusty bread.

Storing and Freezing Ham Soup:

  • Store leftover soup in an airtight container for 3-4 days. You can also add it to meal prep containers for easy lunches throughout the week.
  • Freeze leftover soup in freezer bags after squeezing the air out of the bags. Lay flat in your freezer. The soup should freeze well for 2-3 months but the zucchini may get a bit mushy.

What to serve with Ham Soup:

Recipe FAQs:

What vegetables work best in this soup?

Classic choices include carrots, celery, onions, and garlic for a flavorful base. We also added potatoes and zucchini but spinach, peas, or green beans can also be included for extra texture and nutrients.

What kind of ham works best in this soup?

Leftover ham works wonderfully in soup, as the extra simmering time helps the flavors meld with the vegetables and broth.

What’s the best way to season ham soup?

We use thyme, oregano, red pepper flakes (for heat – optional), onion powder, salt, and pepper. Bay leaves adds additional depth of flavor. Since ham is salty, add salt sparingly, tasting as you go to get the right balance.

Overhead view of a bowl of veggie soup with ham and noodles.

Other Delicious Soup Recipes:

Soup is literally my chilly weather love language! We have so many delicious recipes to choose from and these are a few of our favorites.

Kitchen Tools Used: (affiliate links)

xoxo ~Sue

A pot of vegetable soup with ham and a soup ladle.

Vegetable Soup with Ham Recipe

Vegetable Soup with Ham is a hearty, comforting dish brimming with fresh vegetables, leftover ham, tender pasta, and aromatic herbs, all simmered in a savory broth. This soup recipe can easily be customized to suit your taste buds!
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Course: Soup
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 370kcal
Author: Sue Ringsdorf

Ingredients

  • 1 ham bone
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup onion – chopped
  • 2 cups carrots – chopped
  • 1 cup celery – chopped
  • 2 cups yellow potatoes – chopped
  • 1 teaspoon each dried thyme, dried oregano, dried red pepper flakes, onion powder
  • kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper – to taste
  • 4 cloves garlic – minced
  • 8-10 cups lower sodium chicken broth
  • 4 cups leftover ham – chopped
  • 6 oz. pasta – I used bucatini and broke them into pieces
  • 3 bay leaves

Instructions

  • Cook ham bone. Place a ham bone (if you have one) in a stock pot. Cover with chicken broth (or use a combo of broth and water). Simmer on medium heat for about 30 minutes.
    Remove the ham bone to a cutting board. Cut any visible ham off of the bone and discard bone. Then strain the broth and set aside.
  • Sauté veggies. Heat the stockpot to medium-high heat. Add olive oil and the chopped veggies – onions, carrots, celery, and potatoes. (Wait until later to add the zucchini.) Cook veggies until slightly softened. Add seasonings (oregano, thyme, red pepper flakes, onion powder, salt, and pepper) and the minced garlic. Stir for a couple of minutes.
    Use salt sparingly because the ham is salty.
  • Add broth. Then add the reserved broth plus more (you'll need 8-10 cups total) and the bay leaves. Bring to a rolling simmer. The potatoes should be close to fork tender.
  • Add ham and pasta. Add the leftover ham (from the ham bone plus the four cups) and pasta to the pot and continue to cook until pasta is just tender (aka al dente).
  • Add zucchini. Add the chopped zucchini to the soup and cook for just a few minutes. Zucchini cooks very quickly so don't cook it very long.
  • Add zucchini. Add the chopped zucchini to the soup and cook for just a few minutes. Zucchini cooks very quickly so don't cook it very long.
  • Serve. Serve ham and vegetable soup with extra black pepper and crackers or crusty bread.

Notes

  • If you don’t have a ham bone, just skip it and use thick cut ham.
  • We use a combo of fresh veggies, including onions, carrots, celery, yellow potatoes, garlic, and zucchini. You could also add others like mushrooms, green beans, peas, or corn.
  • Store leftover soup in an airtight container for 3-4 days. You can also add it to meal prep containers for easy lunches throughout the week.
  • Freeze leftover soup in freezer bags after squeezing the air out of the bags. Lay flat in your freezer. The soup should freeze well for 2-3 months but the zucchini may get a bit mushy.

Nutrition

Calories: 370kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 35mg | Sodium: 1161mg | Potassium: 1107mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 7209IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 67mg | Iron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @Suebeehomemaker or tag #suebeehomemaker!

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