Imagine a scenario where the cook of the house, maybe interested in getting more beans and veggies into everyone, announces that they are going to make more vegetable soup these days. And that there’s a serious carnivore in the house that grunts a predictably lukewarm response.
Now imagine the cook saying that they would like to make more soups with ham in them. We’re talking about the same collection of recipes, but through this lens, everyone wins! That’s because ham has a serious affinity for vegetables and legumes and has a way of infusing a big simmering pot with a gorgeous depth.
So whether you’ve got leftovers from a holiday ham or you’re using some deli-counter hunks to pump up dinner, look no further for recipes that will keep everyone satisfied through all the cold-weather months.
Ham and Collard Soup
Ham and collards partner as naturally as Rodgers and Hammerstein, but usually you encounter them as a vegetable side. Here, they go super-brothy in a soul-satisfying soup enriched also with navy beans. A little freshly-grated Parmesan makes an ideal complement.
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It doesn’t get more classic than split pea soup with ham, and there’s a reason for that. Here, ham hocks lend sweetness, savoriness and smoke to soup, all notes that serve the creamy legumes quite well. Pureeing the soup turns the usual chunky texture into one that’s silky and light, and encountering the occasional chunk of the pork is simply delightful.
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If you’re new to bone broth you have learned the depth and body that simmering bones can give to a soup, but maybe you’re an old-school cook who never lost that bit of knowledge in the first place. Either way, never ditch those bones. This is the kind of thrifty cooking of our grandmothers: One piece of meat stretched to enhance several different meals. And it will stretch yet again—this soup freezes beautifully.
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This soup plays up the autumnal notes of the best roasted sweet potatoes, but in a liquid incarnation. Warming ingredients like cinnamon and brown sugar play up the sweet, but the ham hocks keep this solidly on the side of savory. The coconut milk adds a rich and silky quality.
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Every mouthful is an adventure in this soup that is a complete meal in a Dutch oven. Thick with rice, vegetables, black eyed peas and greens, and of course underlined with the smoky notes of ham hocks, this is what to cook when you want to fill a mug and snuggle up on the couch with a movie. It is nourishing and comforting and a fun vehicle for black eyed peas, rarely seen in soups.
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