- Last updated on November 2, 2024
It's still soup season... so let's make some ham and vegetable soup.
This soup makes good use of leftover ham from a holiday meal – such as New Year’s Day. When you’ve had enough leftovers and ham sandwiches, give it a try!
You can easily adjust the vegetables in this recipe to suit your preference. If you don’t like one of the vegetables used, substitute your favorite. This soup is also good leftover and freezes well, although there is usually not much left for the freezer!
New Year's Ham and Vegetable Soup
This soup is a great way to use up leftover ham from a holiday like Christmas, Easter, or New Year's Day. Packed with all kinds of veggies and lots of flavor, it's the perfect warm and cozy meal for a cold winter night.
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Servings: 10
Ingredients
- 1 large sweet onion diced
- 1 small head of cabbage diced (See Note 1 below)
- 5 stalks celery diced
- 5 large carrots diced
- 5 medium potatoes diced
- 3 cloves fresh garlic pressed
- 3 tbsp salted butter
- 3-4 cups ham chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 4 large ears of fresh corn (See Note 2 below)
- 1 tsp dry basil
- 3/4 tsp garlic powder
- 3/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp salt (See Note 3 below)
- 3/4 tsp finely ground black pepper
- 3 cartons of chicken bone broth (32 oz each)
- 2 packets of sodium-free chicken bouillon (4g each) (See Note 4 below)
- 4 oz cream cheese (optional- see Note 5 below)
- 1 cup heavy cream (optional- see Note 5 below)
Instructions
- Add the sweet onion, cabbage, celery, carrots, potatoes, fresh garlic, and butter to a heavy soup pot and cook on medium-low for 4-5 minutes, until the vegetables are just starting to soften. Stir frequently to not burn the vegetables.1 large sweet onion, 1 small head of cabbage, 5 stalks celery, 5 large carrots, 5 medium potatoes, 3 cloves fresh garlic, 3 tbsp salted butter
- Add the ham, corn, basil, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, black pepper, chicken bone broth, and chicken bouillon to the soup pot. Simmer on low, stirring often until the vegetables are cooked through (approx. 30-35 minutes). Taste for seasoning.3-4 cups ham, 4 large ears of fresh corn, 1 tsp dry basil, 3/4 tsp garlic powder, 3/4 tsp onion powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 3/4 tsp finely ground black pepper, 3 cartons of chicken bone broth (32 oz each), 2 packets of sodium-free chicken bouillon (4g each)
- Optional: To finish, put the cream cheese and cream in a bowl and microwave for about 45 seconds- or just as long as it takes to be able to whisk them together to make a smooth mixture. Then add this mixture to the soup and stir well.4 oz cream cheese, 1 cup heavy cream
- Keep the soup warm on low heat after adding the cream mixture- serve and enjoy!
Notes from the Happy To Be Here Kitchen
Note 1. Cabbage: One small head of cabbage may sound like a lot of cabbage, but it cooks down a lot. Make sure to core the cabbage before dicing it.
Note 2. Corn: I like to use fresh corn, lightly grilled and cut off the cob. If you don’t have fresh corn, frozen will work too!
Note 3. Salt: Only 1/2 teaspoon of salt is initially added to the recipe in an effort to not oversalt the soup, as the ham will be salty. You may choose to not add salt until you have tasted the soup after it has simmered and then adjust the salt level to your taste.
Note 4. Chicken Bouillon: I like the Herb Ox brand of sodium-free bouillon. Each packet is 4 grams. You may choose to substitute your favorite sodium-free bouillon in an equivalent amount.
Note 5. Cream Cheese Mixture: The soup is very tasty (and healthier!) without the cream cheese mixture- so taste it and then decide if you’d like to add some decadent creaminess to finish this soup.
Leave a rating and comment down below to let me know how you like this ham and veggie soup!
If you’re looking for another soup that would be perfect for a chilly fall or winter day, check out my recipe for chicken and wild rice soup.
Pin the image below to come back to this recipe later!
