Warm and Filling Hambone Soup
For most of my life, I have not been a fan of ham. Even thinking about it grossed me out. But it just so happened to be one of my husband’s favorites. When you’re married, it turns out that you may find that you never eat foods you once loved and may start eating foods you never thought you would.
For me, foods like okra, mushrooms and hot wings were some of my favorites. My husband can’t stand them so they’ve never had a place in our home and therefore have disappeared from my diet altogether. But foods like ham, lunch meat and sour cream have developed their own place in our regular diet. What are some of these foods for you?
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So the idea of eating hambone soup was awful the very first time. Gross! Then I discovered that it was much tastier than I expected. A few months later we had it again and I actually enjoyed it. Now I find myself craving this interesting delicacy and I’ve even made it my own. This truly makes me wonder about all of the other foods I’ve refused to try, not that there are many.
If anything, it tells me not to judge a book by it’s cover, or in this case, a recipe. Either way, let’s see how I made it.
So we have already made this soup a couple times in our house this year. I no longer have the hambone, but I have the meat and broth we saved from cooking the bone in the crockpot all day long the first time. I added the ham (2 cups or so), and then a quart of my canned pinto beans.
I then chopped what was left of our celery and three carrots, along with a beautiful patty pan squash from my mother-in-law. (My son tried to chop the squash for me before I had a chance to take a picture. haha) All three of these were dumped into the crockpot.
Instead of chopping fresh onions, I just used my dehydrated onions. They would re-hydrate in the crockpot. Then came two apples.
I added salt, garlic powder, and parsley.
And finally, I dumped the rest of the ham broth we had saved in the freezer into the crockpot.
I cooked mine on high (covered) for about 7-8 hours. Doesn’t it look yummy? It sure was! Now it’s your turn to give it a try!
Some more clean-eating recipes you might like:
Clean Eating Corn Casserole
Easy Apple Cider Chicken with Couscous
Homemade Creamy Black Bean Soup
Ingredients:
- 1 hambone with meat still attached (no nitrates)
- 4 cups pinto beans
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 3 carrots, sliced
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 2 apples, cored and chopped
- 1/2 butternut squash
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons pink Himalayan salt
- 2 teaspoons parsley
Instructions:
- So when you cook a ham, you may cut everything you can off of the bone, but you are inevitably left with a large chunky bone in the middle covered in meat you couldn’t remove.
- I’ve got a great way to use it! Toss this in your crockpot.
- Next add 4 cups of pinto beans in on top of your hambone. Most recipes suggest dry pinto beans, but I fins it easier in a pinch to use my own home canned beans. That way I don’t have to worry about any beans that didn’t get cooked long enough.
- Chop up all of your veggies, one at a time, and drop them into your crockpot.
- Then chop up your apples and dump them in as well.
- Finally add in all of your seasonings and cover your crockpot.
- Cook on high for 7-8 hours, or low for 8-10.
- Remove the hambone before serving.
If you’re looking for a nice, hot, filling soup for the fall season, this is definitely one you should try. It’s packed full of yummy Fall veggies like carrots and squash, and the ham gives it a nice, rich caramel flavor. My husband and I are both in love with this one.
You could add in just about any veggie you want, like parsnips, pumpkin, or potatoes and still maintain the rich hambone soup flavor. If you enjoy this recipe, you should give some of my other Fall recipes a shot like my Pumpkin Oatmeal Pancakes or my Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls.
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Fall is such a wonderful time to get creative with your meals and enjoy the harvest of the season. Pears, apples, peaches, squash, pumpkin, parsnips, brussel sprouts, and carrots can all be used and combined in a variety of ways. Consider all of the options for every meal of the day, even dessert!
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I love soup. This recipe looks absolutely delicious. I can’t wait to try it.
You’re going to be delighted with this recipe, and you won’t even remember that you’re getting so many great veggies in every bite!
Sounds yummy and gluten free!
It has been one of my favorites now for a while. Rich ham, thick broth, beans and veggies… It’s kind of like caramel in a bowl.