This Ham and Potato Soup transforms easy elements like tender potatoes, savory ham, and creamy broth into a comfortable and satisfying meal, all made in a single pot. It’s good for utilizing up vacation leftovers and makes a straightforward cozy fall or winter soup everybody will love.
Table of Contents
Quick Look: Ham And Potato Soup
- What is it? A creamy, comforting soup loaded with diced ham (together with vacation leftovers), tender Yukon gold potatoes, sautéed aromatics and recent herbs, completed with heavy cream and sharp cheddar for further richness.
- Why you’ll love this recipe: It transforms leftover ham right into a hearty, one-pot dinner with a velvety, restaurant-high quality texture—prepared in simply half-hour.
- Easily Customizable: Easily customise it with lighter cream or milk, leftover potatoes, dairy-free cheese, vegetarian swaps, or a spicy kick from smoked paprika and jalapeños.
- Total Cook Time: half-hour (5 min prep + 25 min cook dinner)
- Cook Method: Stovetop — sauté veggies → add flour → whisk in inventory → simmer potatoes → end with cream, ham, cheddar.
- Flavor Profile: Savory and smoky ham + golden potatoes + creamy broth + refined herb depth (thyme & oregano) + elective sharp cheddar soften.
- Difficulty: Easy — newbie-pleasant, step-by-step, requires primary cooking expertise and one pot.
If you’re in search of extra artistic methods to get pleasure from your vacation leftovers, strive whipping up Easy Mashed Potato Cakes, Leftover Turkey Enchiladas, or Turkey Pot Pie with Biscuits. These dishes are stuffed with taste and be sure nothing goes to waste!
Ingredients You’ll Need


- Onion, carrots, and celery: This basic soup trio builds the bottom taste on your ham and potato soup and provides pure sweetness, coloration, and aroma.
- Garlic: Enhances the general taste with a mild kick.
- All-purpose flour: Helps thicken the soup.
- Chicken inventory: The base of the soup. Use -high quality inventory or do-it-yourself for the very best depth of taste.
- Yukon gold potatoes: Creamy, tender, and good for soup — they maintain their form with out getting grainy. You can swap in russet or crimson potatoes (see the potato texture information under).
- Dried thyme and oregano: Classic herbs that add heat and earthy notes.
- Heavy cream: Adds richness and creaminess. Half-and-half works for a lighter model.
- Dijon mustard: Adds a refined tang that brightens the soup.
- Smoked paprika: Gives a mild smoky word. Adjust primarily based on how smoky you want your soup.
- Cooked ham: The star of the soup! Use diced leftover ham or ham out of your vacation meals for further taste.
- Sharp white cheddar cheese: Adds creaminess and tacky richness. Stir in on the finish to soften easily.
*For an in depth checklist of directions, elements and measurements, please reference the recipe card down under.
Substitutions And Variations
- Potatoes: Use leftover roasted or mashed potatoes as an alternative of uncooked diced potatoes. Mashed potatoes will thicken the soup properly.
- Ham: Any cooked ham works, together with vacation leftovers or smoked ham. Turkey or hen may also be swapped in for a unique twist.
- Cheese: Omit the cheddar for a lighter soup, or swap in Gruyère, Swiss, or Monterey Jack for a unique taste.
- Herbs: Fresh herbs like thyme, oregano, or parsley can exchange dried, or strive rosemary for an earthy twist.
- Vegetables: Add further veggies corresponding to peas, corn, or bell peppers for extra texture and taste.
Using a Ham Bone for Richer Flavor
If you’re fortunate sufficient to have a leftover ham bone from a vacation roast — don’t toss it! It’s among the finest methods to offer your soup restaurant-degree taste.
Here’s easy methods to use it:
- Add the ham bone to your pot together with the hen inventory and potatoes.
- Simmer the soup for about 20 minutes, permitting the collagen and marrow to launch wealthy, savory taste.
- Remove the bone earlier than stirring within the cream, ham, and cheese.
Why it really works: The bone infuses the broth with a refined smokiness and physique which you can’t replicate with retailer-purchased inventory alone. It’s a chef-degree trick that makes the soup style prefer it simmered all day.
How to Make Ham and Potato Soup


- Sauté the veggies: In a big Dutch oven, warmth the olive oil over medium warmth. Add the onion, carrot, and celery. Sauté for six–7 minutes till the onions have softened and are evenly golden. Stir within the garlic and cook dinner for about 1 extra minute.


- Add flour: Sprinkle within the flour, stir to coat the greens, and cook dinner for 1–2 minutes.


- Add inventory, potatoes and seasonings: Slowly whisk within the hen inventory. Add the diced potatoes, thyme, oregano, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook dinner for 12–quarter-hour, till the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork however not falling aside.


- Add cream and Dijon: Stir within the cream and Dijon mustard and let the soup simmer gently for five minutes to thicken and develop taste.


- Add ham and cheese: Remove the pot from the warmth and stir within the diced ham and cheddar cheese (if utilizing) till melted and easy. Taste and modify the seasoning with salt and pepper if wanted.


- Serve: Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with recent parsley or chives. Serve with heat bread.
Tips to Make it Even Better
- Balance the flavour: A squeeze of recent lemon juice or a splash of apple cider vinegar on the very finish brightens the richness, a basic chef’s trick.
Potato Texture Guide
| Potato Type | Texture in Soup | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Yukon Gold | Creamy and tender | Everyday model (balanced texture) |
| Russet | Softer, breaks down extra | Thicker, chowder-type soups |
| Red Potatoes | Hold their form | Brothy soups or reheating leftovers |
Storage And Reheating
- Refrigerate leftovers: Store cooled soup in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 4–5 days.
- Reheating: Warm gently over medium-low warmth, stirring sometimes. Add a splash of milk, cream, or inventory if it appears too thick. You may reheat within the microwave in a microwave-protected bowl in 1–2 minute intervals, stirring in between to make sure even heating.
Recipe FAQs
Whether or to not peel your potatoes is usually a matter of private choice. For skinny-skinned varieties like Yukon golds, child reds, or fingerlings, the pores and skin softens properly because the soup cooks, so peeling isn’t essential. Thicker-skinned potatoes, corresponding to Russets or candy potatoes, are greatest peeled first for the very best texture.
Simmer a ham bone within the inventory when you have one (see the complete methodology above), or add further recent herbs.
I don’t suggest freezing this soup should you’ve added the cheddar cheese. Once thawed, the cheese can separate and create a grainy texture, which takes away from the creamy, comforting expertise of the soup.


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Ham and Potato Soup
This Ham and Potato Soup transforms easy elements like tender potatoes, savory ham, and creamy broth into a comfortable and satisfying meal. It’s good for utilizing up vacation leftovers and will get an additional increase of taste from sharp cheddar, smoked paprika, and a sprinkle of recent herbs that may preserve everybody coming again for seconds.

Save this Recipe!
Enter your electronic mail and I’ll ship it on to you.
In a big Dutch oven, warmth the olive oil over medium warmth. Add the onion, carrot, and celery. Sauté for six–7 minutes till the onions have softened and are evenly golden. Stir within the garlic and cook dinner for about 1 extra minute.
Sprinkle within the flour, stir to coat the greens, and cook dinner for 1–2 minutes.
Slowly whisk within the hen inventory. Add the diced potatoes, thyme, oregano, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook dinner for 12–quarter-hour, till the potatoes are tender.
Stir within the cream and Dijon mustard. Simmer gently for five minutes to heat by way of.
Remove the pot from the warmth and stir within the diced ham and cheddar cheese (if utilizing) till melted and easy. Taste and modify the seasoning with salt and pepper if wanted.
Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with recent parsley or chives. Serve with heat bread.
- Using leftover potatoes: If you might have roasted potatoes, stir them in throughout step 4 as an alternative of uncooked potatoes. Mashed potatoes will thicken the soup if you wish to combine them into the broth.
- Flavor increase: If you saved a ham bone, simmer it within the inventory whereas cooking the potatoes for further richness (see “Using a Ham Bone for Richer Flavor” above), then take away earlier than including cream.
- Balance: A squeeze of recent lemon juice or a splash of apple cider vinegar on the very finish brightens the richness, a basic chef’s trick.
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 492kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 96mg | Sodium: 950mg | Potassium: 1016mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 5003IU | Vitamin C: 37mg | Calcium: 216mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutrition data is approximate and was calculated utilizing a recipe diet label generator.
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