Description
This comforting ham and vegetable soup is perfect for using up leftover ham and packed with nutritious vegetables.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion (diced small or white onion)
- 2 stalks celery (diced small)
- 2 large carrots (peeled and diced small)
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (or to taste or fresh thyme, oregano, rosemary, etc. as desired)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt (plus more to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (plus more to taste)
- 2 to 3 cloves garlic (finely minced)
- 2 cups cooked ham
- 2 large Russet potatoes
- 8 cups reduced sodium chicken broth (reduced sodium vegetable broth may be substituted)
- 1 cup fresh green beans (trimmed into bite-sized pieces; fresh recommended but frozen may be substituted)
- 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (optional but recommended to brighten up the flavor)
- Fresh herbs or grated Parmesan (optional for garnishing and to taste)
Instructions
- To a large Dutch oven, add the oil, onions, and sauté the onions over medium-high heat for about 3-4 minutes; stir frequently.
- Add the carrots, celery, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and sauté for 4-5 minutes, or until the vegetables are becoming soft and tender; stir frequently.
- Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute; stir nearly continuously.
- Add the ham, potatoes, broth, and bring to a low boil. Boil gently for about 10-12 minutes, or until the potatoes are almost done; stir occasionally.
- In the final approximately 5 minutes of simmering, add the green beans. Depending on how al dente you like your green beans, you may want to add them to the pot sooner, or just a couple of minutes from the end.
- Optionally but recommended, add the lemon juice, optional herbs, and taste the soup. As necessary, make any necessary flavor adjustments.
- If the soup tastes at all flat, boring, bland, or dull, it likely needs more salt. In a pot of soup this size, with the amount of simple root vegetables used, I add another ~2 teaspoons at the end. It depends on how salty the ham is, how salty your broth is, and your overall preference for saltiness.
- If you want a creamier soup, optionally add 1/2 cup heavy cream (or a bit more). If you foresee yourself wanting to add heavy cream at the end, you may want to reduce the amount of broth by about 1/2 cup, but it doesn’t matter too much if there’s a bit of extra broth. Garnish as desired and serve.
Notes
- The potatoes are the item that holds up the soup from being done since they’ll take the longest to cook through. Keep the pieces no bigger than 1/2-inch dice.
- Consider adding some red pepper flakes for extra flavor without making it spicy.
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese is great as a garnish if you have it.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 800mg
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 30g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 15g
- Cholesterol: 40mg