Using Up: Ham Bone Soup and Leftovers

In today's Using Up segment, I present to you the humble ham bone, the thing you can never get all the meat off of when cutting nice slices of ham.

The solution? Don't try, just throw it in the freezer with all the meat pieces attached, and pull it out when you are ready to make a delicious soup.

Not sure how to use this bone to make soup? Read on for a loose recipe and to see how I also used up some roast beef, potatoes, and vegetable bisque I found in the fridge.

Well, this starts pretty simple: put the ham bone in the pot.

Whew, glad we got through that.

I'm using a slow cooker today (my favorite way to do this), but cooking on the stove top for 2 to 3 hours works, too.

Cover the bone with water and add a chopped onion. Celery is good added now, too, but I didn't have any.

Set it on low (or bring to a boil, then turn to low on the stove top) and cook for about 5 hours. That's the time I was at work, and I finished it when I came home, but you can cook it for 2-3 hours on high if needed.

Here are the leftovers I found in my refrigerator. Roast beef and carrots. Garlic mashed potatoes. Vegetable bisque. An onion.

No, wait. The onion was already chopped and in the pot. How did that get there?

I'll take it up with my photographer later.

Now you might think these would not work together with the ham, but I have found soup to be a dish that can bring many things together for the greater good.

The greater good being a great bowl of soup.

Not world peace or anything like that.

I also like beans with a ham bone, so I defrosted some of these pre-cooked, frozen white beans to add to the soup. I could've chosen garbanzo or red beans (both stocked in the freezer), but went with the white beans today.

You ever just have a white bean day?

When the meat on the bone is starting to fall off (or you get home from work, or the timer dings...whatever), remove it from the liquid (now a wonderful ham broth) and set it on a cutting board to cool.

Once you can touch it without burning your hands off, pull the meat off, cut up any big pieces and remove any remaining fat before adding back to the broth in the pot.

Now add any other ingredients that sound good. I put in the leftovers I had this time, but have added tomatoes, lentils, and cabbage in the past.

Cook on low for another 3 to 4 hours (or another hour on the stove top until everything is tender).

I felt this needed some green, and added some peas in the last half hour of cooking in the slow cooker. Spinach, kale or chard are good, too.

Click here for a printable recipe

Ham Bone Soup "recipe"

• Ham bone
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2-3 stalks celery, sliced
• choice of vegetables: carrots, peas, tomatoes, cabbage, kale, spinach, etc.
• beans
• salt and pepper

1. Cover bone with water in pot of slow cooker or soup pot. Add chopped onion and celery, if using, and cook for 4-5 hours on low or on the stove top for 1-2 hours.
2. Remove bone from liquid, cool, then pull off meat and add back to pot.
3. Add choice of vegetables and beans and cook again on low for another 3-4 hours (or bring to boil, then cook an hour on low on stove top). Add things like greens or peas in the last half hour.
4. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Makes a ton.

-Jami

This is linked to Real Food Progressive Dinner- Soups