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Second Servings, A Great Soup Using Left Over Ham!

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Here at the Crunchy House Next Door, we’ve been looking into ways to save money in all areas. We yard sale. We re-purpose clothing. There are do it yourself crafts, and we definitely look into the food department with couponing. So when I started number crunching the cost of a ham steak versus a full ham, I realized there were big savings in bigger meats IF you went the leftover route.

The problem however is the kids. They get picky! They don’t want to eat the same thing, night after night. So after Easter, we had a bunch of ham still sitting in the fridge. We were on day thre and it had to be used. It had to be used. But what should I do with it?

And then it hit me like a ton of bricks. (Speaking of, where did that saying come from? Did anyone actually get hit by a ton of bricks? Did they live to tell about it, or are we just guessing about what it felt like? Ok, I’m straying…)

I wanted to make a soup. I didn’t want it to be just any soup. I wanted it to be stellar. And thus, this recipe was born. I’ve tweaked a few things here and there, but I think it’s now in its final form.

My wife loves it. She wants me to can it and sell it. How could I do that though? I’m SHARING it on the internet. It’s out there!

And the kids? My eldest wants me to make a few batches, just so she can take it to school for lunch. Hope you enjoy.

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What you’ll need:

7 cups diced potatos (Approximately 2.5 pounds)

2/3 cup diced celery

2/3 cup diced onion

1.5 cups of cooked ham (At least, be generous)

4 cups chicken broth

2.5 cups water

4 tablespoons chicken bouillon

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

8 tablespoons butter

8 tablespoons flour

4 cups milk

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Directions:

Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, ham and water in a stockpot. Bring it to a boil, and then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender. It should take about 10 to 15 minutes.

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I have found shotglasses to be one of my cooking staples. They are the perfect size to measure, mix, and store the spices until you’re ready for them. Anyway, it’s time to stir in the chicken bouillon, salt and pepper.

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In a separate saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in the flour with a fork. Rule of thumb is that it is one tablespoon of flour for every tablespoon of butter. Pour in one tablespoon and stir it in, and then the second. Stir it consistently until thickens.

Slowly stir in milk as not to allow lumps to form until all of the milk has been added. Continue stirring it until it thickens. It should take about 4 to 5 minutes.

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Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot, and cook soup until heated through. Enjoy it immediately, and let me know what you think!

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7 thoughts on “Second Servings, A Great Soup Using Left Over Ham!

  1. I tend to freeze the left over ham when it just gets to be too much. My workplace is known to toss out pot and celery (we can take it home if we want but when there is 150kgs of potato and the celery is 20kg bags chopped up, its hard to use up if you take it home lol) Guess next time I will have to think SOUP (I usually want quiche though lol)

  2. I love that this soup does not have a ton of ingredients. Awesome use for leftover ham indeed.

  3. I love potato soup and have never thought of using left over ham in it. I normally use bacon but ham would be delicious too. I always have ham left over after Thanksgiving and Christmas. This is a great idea.

  4. This sounds delicious, I love a good soup in the winter! I have actually never tried making my own ham and potato either, thank you so much for sharing the recipe! 🙂

  5. This sure looks good, and a little ham can go a long way! I’d love to try this. I haven’t made a soup with potatoes in years. This is one to make!

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