Stovetop or Slow Cooker Ham Bone and Potato Soup Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What kind of soup can be made from a ham bone? ›

And one of my favorite childhood meals was Nana's Epic Navy Bean Ham Bone Soup, i.e. navy bean soup simmered with a leftover ham bone. Navy bean soup is rich, filling, comforting, and can feed a large crowd on a small budget. This soup is especially good when you have a leftover ham bone from a holiday meal!

You'll be rewarded with richer, more intense flavors in your soup. There is very little evaporation in the slow cooker. If you're adapting a regular soup recipe, it's likely that you won't need to use all the liquid called for. Put all your ingredients in the slow cooker and then pour the broth over top.

Soup Thickening Method: Cornstarch Slurry

Cornstarch is flavorless, easy to mix up, and versatile, which makes it a go-to pantry ingredient. I made a classic slurry by whisking cornstarch and hot broth until smooth in a small bowl.

Add a little flour or cornstarch. Often a good idea to mix either with a little warm water in a small bowl, and the add to the soup. You can also add some cooked, cubed potatoes (canned will work), to thicken. Instant potato flakes will work, too.

For best results, try to use your frozen ham bone within three months. There may be some loss of flavor if you keep it longer, and any bits of meat and cartilage remaining on it may get freezer burn or dry out. Ham bones are packed with so much rich, flavor.

Is a ham hock the same as a ham bone? No, but they can definitely be used in the same way—both are usually smoked, so they add similar flavor to a dish. A ham bone will have more usable meat on it than a ham hock.

Basic principles of preparing soup are also outlined, including starting with cold water, cutting vegetables to size, selecting protein, simmering, and skimming.

"If your broth is lacking in savory richness, try adding roasted onion, tomato paste, mushrooms, seaweed, soy sauce, or miso. These ingredients add umami flavor and depth to broth," she says. The choice of ingredient depends on the recipe, though.

That varies by what's inside the slow cooker and also by the appliance's setting and model, the experts say. Most recipes for all-day cooking call for 6 to 8 hours on low. Quality- (and safety-) wise, another 1 to 2 hours in 'keep warm' mode won't mess things up.

Russets or all-purpose baking potatoes are high in starch and low in moisture. In soups, they will soak up the liquid and lose their shape. This makes them the ideal choice for making creamy soups or thickening a runny soup. Try using Russet potatoes to create the perfect Loaded Potato Soup.

Why isn't my potato soup creamy? ›

Why isn't my potato soup creamy? Most creamy soups require you to add dairy of some sort into it. If you're finding your soup is too thin adding milk, add in cream instead, or whole milk.

By mixing the flour or cornstarch with cool water before adding it to the soup, you'll keep it from clumping up when it hits the hot liquid. This will thicken about 1 qt (0.95 L) of soup.

Although you may be able to use a ham bone again for soup, if not all of the meat comes off of the bone, most of the flavor you can get from the bone will be used up the first time you use it to make soup. If you want to try to reuse the bone, refrigerate it and use it again within a couple of days.

It's important to note that cornstarch has twice the thickening power of flour. If you need to substitute cornstarch to thicken liquid in a recipe that calls for ¼ cup (four tablespoons) flour, you only need two tablespoons cornstarch.

Now, a new study has shown that ham bones contain peptides that could have cardioprotective effects. Drinking bone broth is a recent diet fad that proponents claim fights inflammation, eases joint pain and promotes gut health.

The Best Bones for Bone Broth

I like to use a mix of big beef bones (saved from roasts or begged from the butcher), meaty short ribs or oxtails, and knuckle or neck bones. Those knuckle and neck bones have a lot of collagen, which give the broth body and a rich flavor.

I always use my ham bones for bone broth. Put the bone in the crockpot with some onions, carrots, celery leaves, garlic, bay leaf and peppercorns. Fill with water enough to make sure the bone is covered by at least half an inch. Cook on low for 2-3 days.

Soup bones can be used to make high protein soups, stocks, broth and bone broth. The soups you can make range from beef stews, to pho and ramen. Stocks and broths can easily be made by tossing these bones into a large pot, adding water and letting them simmer for a 1-3 hours.