This Creamy Ham & Potato Soup recipe is filled with carrots, sweet corn, cheddar cheese and leftover ham for a hearty and family friendly 30 minute dinner idea. Starchy vegetables are blended to thicken the cheesy gluten-free soup topped with crispy bits of ham.
Cheesy Ham & Vegetable Soup
It seems like it will never stop raining this spring and the dreary days call for a warm bowl of soup. Whether you like something with a little kick like this Creamy Poblano and Chicken Soup or a vegetable filled family friendly soup like this Creamy Ham & Potato Soup, it is sure to warm your soul and fill your belly.
Gluten-Free Creamy Ham Soup
You can always make a creamy soup by starting with a roux of butter and flour, but for this ham and vegetable soup, we are blending some of the potatoes, corn and carrots and using those starchy vegetables to thicken the soup. No need to add any flour at all, which makes this a great gluten-free soup.
Crispy Ham Topping
We are going to crisp up some of the ham to use as a topping for the soup. If you want an even richer option, crisping bacon is also delicious. The crispy ham offers a fantastic texture to the soup and is a great way to use even more of your leftover ham.
How to make Creamy Ham Soup
Once you have crisped the ham in the pot, set it aside. If you decide to crisp bacon, it will render lots of fat which will be too much. Carefully remove most of it with a paper towel, but leave a little to add some flavor to the soup.
Add the butter to the pan along with the onions, garlic and carrots. Season with thyme, ground mustard, salt and white pepper. If you don’t have white pepper, you can use more potent black pepper, but reduce the amount by half.
Once the onions are translucent, add the chicken stock to the pan to deglaze. Using a wooden spoon, scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the corn and potatoes and cook over medium-high heat until the potatoes are fork tender, approximately 10 minutes.
Can I use frozen corn?
This recipe is great with frozen or fresh corn. If you are using frozen corn, you can add it to the soup frozen and it will thaw and cook. If you are using fresh corn cut off the cob, you can add it a few minutes after the potatoes so it doesn’t overcook.
Blended starchy vegetables to thicken soup
Carefully remove four cups of vegetables from the pot and add them to a blender along with 1 cup milk. If you remove some chicken stock with the vegetables that is fine, but try and get mostly vegetables.
If you don’t have a blender, add them to a bowl and use an immersion blender to puree them. Pour the blended veggies back into the soup pot. Bring them to a boil and then immediately reduce the heat to a simmer.
Stir in the sour cream and cheddar cheese until smooth and serve the soup topped with crispy ham and additional cheddar. A dollop of sour cream and green onions are also great garnishes.
Leftover Ham Recipe
Whether you made a large ham dinner over the weekend and are looking for quick and easy weeknight dinner recipes to use up the leftovers, or your froze the excessive holiday ham for later use, this creamy ham soup is a great way to use it up. If you are looking for some more great leftover ham recipes, be sure to check out some of our favorites.
- Ham & Cheese Breakfast Egg Bites
- Mac & Cheese with Ham & Broccoli
- Cheesy Ham & Asparagus Quiche
- Scalloped Potatoes & Ham
- Cheesy Ham & Broccoli Tater Tot Casserole
Creamy Ham & Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 3 cups ham divided
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon dried Thyme
- 1-2 teaspoons salt
- 5 medium red potatoes chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
- 32 ounces chicken broth
- 2 cups corn fresh or frozen
- 1 cup milk
- 3/4 cup sour cream
Instructions
Crispy Ham
- To a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add one cup of diced ham and crisp until it is golden brown. Use a lid to cover the ham as it is crisping. The moisture in the ham combined with the oil may splatter oil.
- Remove the crisped ham from the pot and set aside.
Ham & Vegetable Soup
- Add the butter to the pan and melt. Add the diced onions, carrots and garlic. Season the vegetables with white pepper, ground mustard, thyme and salt. Cook until the onions are translucent.
- Add the chicken stock to the pan to deglaze. Using a wooden spoon, scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Add the corn, potatoes and ham and cook over medium-high heat until the potatoes are fork tender, approximately 10 minutes.
Blend Vegetables
- Remove 4 cups of vegetables from the pot and add them to a blender along with 1 cup milk. Blend until smooth and pour back into the soup pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer.
- Stir in the sour cream and cheddar cheese until smooth.
- Serve the soup topped with crispy ham and additional cheddar.
Carlie says
When does the rest of the ham go in? This recipe is incomplete.
Danielle Green says
The remaining ham is added with the potatoes.
wilhelmina says
Suoer delicious and easy to make, it was a hit with the fam too!