Leftover Ham and Potato Soup is an easy and delicious way to use up leftover ham and potatoes to make a creamy, comforting fall or winter soup.
T’was the day after Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even my spouse…. That pretty well describes our day after Christmas….lazy and restful, except for some cleanup.
So I wanted something easy for dinner that night that would use up the leftovers from the day before.
Jump to:
This year we had ham for Christmas over at my sister’s house. We generally alternate between turkey and ham.
Since a number of people in my family were leaving to go on a trip today, we took some of the leftover ham home with us.
I came up with this recipe for Leftover Ham and Potato Soup out of necessity. I needed to use up the leftover ham from the Peach Glazed Spiral Ham recipe.
This Leftover Ham and Potato Soup would make a wonderfully comforting dinner. I added some additional vegetables including, onion, celery, and carrots.
What Ingredients Are In Leftover Ham and Potato Soup?
The wonderful thing about this soup is that it uses common ingredients that you likely have on hand or that are readily available at most grocery stores.
- Chopped Ham
- Onion
- Garlic
- Carrots
- Celery
- Carrots
- Butter
- Potatoes
- Milk or Heavy Cream
- Chicken Broth
- Salt and Pepper
- Red Pepper Flakes (optional)
- Cheddar Cheese (optional)
- Sour Cream (garnish)
- Chives (garnish)
How Do I Make Leftover Ham and Potato Soup?
- In a dutch oven or large pot, over medium-high heat, melt butter.
- Add onion, celery, carrots, and ham; cook for approximately 5 minutes, or until onion is soft and ham begins to brown.
- Stir in minced garlic and cook for about a minute.
- Add flour and stir for about a minute, or until well blended.
- Add broth and stir; let cook until thickened and bubbly.
- Add potatoes; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.
- Add cream (or milk), red pepper flakes (if desired), and black pepper; cook for 2 minutes.
- Stir in cheese and sour cream until well blended.
- Garnish with sour cream, cheese, and chopped ham.
I sautéed the ham and vegetables in butter. You could certainly use olive oil, coconut oil, or your choice of oil. I chose the butter this time because it adds such a delicious flavor.
After sautéing the ham and vegetables, add the flour, chicken broth, cream (or milk), and follow the rest of the directions below. The result is a comforting, satisfying bowl of creamy, cheesy, potato-ey (is that a word?), soup.
What To Serve With Leftover Ham and Potato Soup?
I like to serve it with some French bread, Focaccia, or crusty bread. You could serve it with a salad if you like. This Leftover Ham and Potato Soup is pretty much a meal in itself.
In addition, you can pair this hearty ham soup with a light, fresh salad, such as my Chopped Vegetable Salad.
Other Recipes To Use Leftover Ham
- Instant Pot Ham Green Beans And Potatoes – a classic Southern side dish or one-pot meal, often slow cooked in a crockpot with a ham hock, but this short cut method uses chopped ham in an Instant Pot pressure cooker.
- Instant Pot Split Pea Soup – A humble, cozy, and comforting soup with its smokiness from the bacon or ham bone (ham hock) and its richness from the thick pea soup. It is a big hug in a bowl. And the best part is that it can be ready in half the time by making it in an Instant Pot!
- Ham Hash – Diced ham, potatoes, onions, and red bell peppers are sauteed until crispy and brown then topped with perfectly cooked eggs for a fabulous brunch, breakfast, lunch, or light dinner!
- Ham And Swiss Sliders – These hot Ham and Swiss Sliders, made with sliced ham, Swiss Cheese, and Hawaiian rolls, smothered with a garlic Dijon butter sauce, are a perfect game-day or party appetizer.
For which occasion will you make this soup?
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Recipe
Leftover Ham and Potato Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1-1/2 cups chopped country ham
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 cups low sodium fat free chicken broth
- 3 cups unpeeled chopped new potatoes
- 2 cups heavy cream or milk
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper adjust to taste
- 1 cup sharp Cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- additional chopped country ham sour cream and cheese for garnish
Instructions
- In a dutch oven or large pot, over medium-high heat, melt butter.
- Add onion, celery, carrots, and ham; cook for approximately 5 minutes, or until onion is soft and ham begins to brown.
- Stir in minced garlic and cook for about a minute.
- Add flour and stir for about a minute, or until well blended.
- Add broth and stir; let cook until thickened and bubbly.
- Add potatoes; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.
- Add cream (or milk), red pepper flakes (if desired), and black pepper; cook for 2 minutes.
- Stir in cheese and sour cream until well blended.
- Garnish with sour cream, cheese, and chopped ham.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published on December 26, 2014, and was republished on December 3, 2018, with additional photos and additional information about how to make the Leftover Ham and Potato Soup.
Karen says
Made this tonite (I doubled the ham-just to get rid of it) and used half cream and half 2% milk–LOVED IT!!!!
Michele says
Hi Karen, Thanks so much for letting me know you tried it. I’m so happy that you loved it! It is such a great soup.
Rachel says
This was excellent! I used baby red potatoes and did 4 cups instead of 3. My husband asked for it three days in a row which never happens.
Michele says
Hi Rachel, thank you so much for the kind comment. I’m so happy that you and your husband liked it! I appreciate you taking the time to come back here and let me know. Be sure to check out our other almost 600 recipes as well. Happy New Year!
Annie Colson says
I made this recipe tonight. I thought I had all the ingredients on hand as I do make a lot of soups this time of year and we almost always have shredded cheddar in the frig. Tonight was the few times we didn’t but I did have some shredded Swiss which I substituted for the cheddar. OMG was that ever good! Next time I make this I’ll make sure I have some cheddar on hand so I can try it that way too. 🙂
Michele says
Hi Annie,
I’m so glad you liked it. It is good to know that Swiss cheese worked well.
Thanks,
Michele
LaDawn says
This recipe is my daughter’s favorite soup. Very tasty.
Cindy says
This was fabulous! I followed the directions exactly and served the soup in a warm bread bowl. My husband and I both loved it! Thank you for sharing this recipe with us!
Kate says
I just made this and it was marvelous ! The red pepper flakes put it over the top, as we are a spice loving family and we will definitely keep this in our special recipe file. Thank you for sharing this recipe we loved it!
Michele says
Hi Kate,
Thank you so much for reaching out. I’m so happy that you loved it. Be sure and check out our other 700+ recipes. Sign up for email because I’m getting ready to publish 10 Cold Weather Soup Recipes in the next few days.
Thanks,
Michele
Lgp says
I love to cook and do so 4-5 times a week for over 25 years. My husband and I are definitely food and wine snobs. This recipe is wonderful-we both loved it! It is going in my files of favorites!
Michele says
Hi there,
I’m so glad you liked the recipe. It is one of our favorites too. Thanks for the kind comment.
Michele
Carla says
This is by far the BEST soup recipe ever. The flavors are perfect just as is. I made no substitutions and it came out perfect. One trick is to do a brown sugar bourbon glaze on your ham. It’s yummy for dinner and then makes the perfect addition to this recipe. So wonderful!!!!
Geri says
Made this soup. Was delishes. How long can I keep the leftovers? Best way to store the soup?
Michele says
Hi Geri,
I’m so happy that you liked the soup! You can store the soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
Thanks,
Michele
Maureen M says
Made this for dinner tonight. It’s definitely a keeper! I made it exactly as written, as I always do on the first try. Would not change or add a thing. My husband had 3 bowls! Will be my go to potato soup recipe!
Michele says
Hi Maureen,
I’m so glad you and your husband loved it! I’m honored that this will be your go to potato soup recipe! Thanks for letting me know.
Michele