Ham 'n Tater 'n Cabbage Soup

Well, I promised you a recipe that used ham leftover from the Easiest Ham Ever. So here it is! This is my new favorite soup. It was really quick and easy to make, super flavorful, and actually pretty good for you!

You'll need some veggies to make this soup. I used my trusty soup starters--carrots, celery, and onion--as well as parsnips, cabbage, and potatoes.

Get the carrots, celery, onions, and parsnips all peeled and chopped, and throw them in a pot with a pat of butter. Start cooking them over medium heat, to soften them up.

Once that's started, you can work on the cabbage. Peel the icky outer leaves off. Then cut the cabbage in half.

Cutting in at an angle, remove the hard core of the cabbage.

I discovered that the cabbage core makes a great chew for dogs. They really went to town on them. Your mileage may vary.

Cut the cored cabbage halves in half.

Then shred.

When the vegetables in the pot are softened, pile the cabbage in. Don't be alarmed by the volume--the cabbage will shrink down.

Now you can add salt, which will both flavor the soup and help the cabbage wilt.

Caraway seed will add its particular flavor to the soup. It's a really nice addition, in my opinion.

A bay leaf is next, of course. Soup always needs bay leaves.

Dried parsley adds a bit of greenery.

Now you can add the potatoes.

And finally, the chicken broth. I used a box and a can. What is that, 6 cups?

While the broth cooks the potatoes, I grabbed my leftover ham.

It was bone-in, so I cut hunks of meat off around the bone. (Save the bone for something else--maybe some delicious Ham and Lentil Soup?)

Dice the ham, and add it once the potatoes are fully cooked.

I like corn, so I added a drained can of corn, too. If you don't like canned corn, you can use frozen (or fresh, if you're lucky enough to have it.)

For a bit of richness, I added just a little half and half.

And because I wanted to, I shook in some hot sauce.















There you have it! The perfect recipe to use up your leftover ham! I'll be making ham a lot more often now that I've got this recipe!

Recipe: Ham n' Tater 'n Cabbage Soup

1 small onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
2 parsnips, peeled and diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
1 tbsp. butter

1 small head cabbage, roughly chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. caraway seeds
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. dried parsley
4-5 potatoes, peeled and diced
1 box plus 1 can chicken broth
1 lb. ham, diced
1 can corn
1/2 c. half and half
salt and pepper, to taste
hot sauce, to taste

In a large pot, saute, onion, celery, parsnips, and carrots in butter until softened. Add cabbage, salt, caraway, bay, and parsley. Saute until cabbage is wilted.

Add potatoes and chicken broth. Simmer until potatoes are cooked through.

Add ham, corn, half and half, salt and pepper, and hot sauce. Heat through and serve.