Vegetable Soup with Ham Recipe

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

5 from 1 vote

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!

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Keyword vegetable soup with ham

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 20

Servings servings

Calories 370kcal

Author Sue Ringsdorf

Ingredients

For the veggies and seasonings:

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

Other:

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
1 zucchini squash - chopped

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.
1 ham bone
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.
2 Tablespoons olive oil, 1 cup onion, 2 cups carrots, 1 cup celery, 2 cups yellow potatoes, 1 teaspoon each dried thyme, dried oregano, dried red pepper flakes, onion powder, kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, 4 cloves garlic
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.
8-10 cups lower sodium chicken broth, 3 bay leaves
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).
4 cups leftover ham, 6 oz. pasta
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.
1 zucchini squash
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