The Best Creamy Ham and Potato Ham Bone Soup without Beans! (2024)

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🍽️ Pairs With

This creamy ham and potato soup is usually served as the main course. So the big question is what do you serve along with a bowl of a tasty ham bone soup for a hearty family dinner? We have exactly what you need.

• Sweet Southern Cornbread
• Breadsticks
• Homemade Rolls
• Raspberry Fluff Salad
• Side Salad
• Irish Soda Bread
• Parmesan Garlic Bread
• Biscuits
• Cast Iron Skillet French Fries
• Brussell Sprouts
• Asparagus
• Corn on the cob
• Coleslaw
• Applesauce
• Orange Fluff Jello Salad with Cottage cheese

🥘 Ingredient Notes

The recipe card at the bottom of the page lists all of the ingredients you need for this soup. However, there are a few ingredients that are worth discussing in more detail. These ingredients are important for the flavor and texture of the soup, and they need to be used in a specific way in order to get the best results

*Ham Bone: The key to this recipe is the homemade ham bone broth. To make this youcook a bone-in ham one day and use the baked ham leftovers to make soup the next day. I often look for a bone-in ham shank, which is meatier than a regular ham because it comes from the area just below the shoulder or the hip. This usually means plenty of meat for the soup and an excellent bone for making a ham bone marrow broth.

If you can’t find a ham with the bone, check your local deli and see if they happen to have any. Or you can also try to substitute with a ham hock. A ham hock is the lower part of a pig’s leg, and it is often used to make ham stock or soup.

*Heavy Cream: For all that is holy in the kitchen, do NOT add the cream too early! Adding heavy cream to soup too early can cause it to curdle. To prevent this, add the cream during the last 20-30 minutes of cooking.

*Garam Masala: This is the secret ingredient that makes this recipe stand out and taste better than others! I have never seen any other ham bone soup call for garam masala.

🧂What is Garam Masala?

Garam masala is a blend of spices that adds a unique flavor, aroma, and warmth to this creamy ham bone soup. The word “garam” means “warm” in Hindi, and it perfectly describes the way this spice blend enhances the soup. Garam masala has a warming scent and aroma that elevates this ham bone soup to the ultimate comfort food.

Don’t worry, garam masala does not make the soup spicy. With the right proportions, even children can enjoy this soup without any issues.

It is important to note that garam masala is often added to soup towards the end of the cooking process. This is because garam masala is a delicate spice blend, and adding it too early can mute the flavors. By adding it at the end of the cooking process, you can ensure that the flavors of the garam masala are fully developed and enhanced.

What are the best potatoes to use in ham bone soup?

Not all potatoes are created equal. The type of potato you pick for your soup will depend on the texture and result you want from the soup.

Different types of potatoes have different starch content, skin thickness, and react differently to heat. Here are the three most common types of potatoes and how they are best used in soup:

• Red potatoes:These potatoes have a thin skin and a waxy texture. They hold their shape well when cooked, making them a good choice for soups that require potatoes to be left in chunks.
• Russet potatoes:These potatoes have a high starch content and a fluffy texture. They are best for soups that require potatoes to be mashed, such as baked potato soup. They are also best forbaked potatoes,French fries, andmashed potatoes.
• Yellow (Yukon) potatoes:These potatoes have a medium starch content and a creamy texture. They are a good all-purpose potato that can be used in a variety of soups.

So Which Potato is best for this ham and potato soup? That I will ultimately leave up to you. However, I will say that even though this is a creamy ham bone soup recipe, I prefer to get the creaminess from the heavy cream and not from the starch in the potatoes. I like my potatoes to retain their shape and be a nice bite and not mush. So I prefer using either Red or Yukon Yellow potatoes in this recipe.

🔪Variations

• BEANS: This is probably the most obvious variation. Almost all ham bone soups include beans. The reason why this one doesn’t is because we have some digestion issues with beans in our family. But rest assured, you can easily add beans to this recipe if you are a fan of beans in your ham bone soup!
• Vegetables: add in your favorites such as dice celery, peas, green beans, etc.

Cooking Methods

One thing I love about this ham potato soup is that you have several cooking methods! It is an easy slow-cooker soup, or cooked on the stovetop, and can even be made in the pressure cooker!

Stovetop Method

1. Place the ham bone and bay leaves in a large stockpot and cover it completely with water. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce and simmer for a minimum of 2 hours and up to 24 hours.
2. Remove the ham bone from the broth, set it aside, and allow it to cool on a plate.
3. Add all remaining ingredients to the ham bone broth and cook over medium heat until the vegetables are al dente (still slightly firm but mostly cooked)
4. While the vegetables are cooking remove any ham from the ham bone and dice up any other leftover ham from a previously cooked ham dinner you have around. Add the ham and corn to the soup and continue to cook until warm and the vegetables become tender.
5. Add in the heavy cream and garam masala. Stir until the cream and garam masala are fully mixed through the soup. Turn off the heat.
6. Remove bay leaves before serving. Serve warm

Instant Pot Method

1. Place ham bone along with 6 cups water and bay leaves into the pressure cooker. Seal the lid and pressure cook on High for 30 minutes.
2. Quick release pressure. Remove the ham bone and scrape any meat from the bone and add it back to the soup.
3. Add all remaining ingredients (EXCEPT the corn, cream, and garam masala) to the pressure cooker. Seal the lid and pressure cook on High for 7-8 minutes. Quick release pressure.
4. Stir in the canned corn, heavy cream, and garam masala and cook on a simmer setting for an additional 10 minutes until the corn is warmed.
5. Serve immediately.

CrockPot Method

1. Place the ham bone and non-starchy vegetables in the slow cooker.
2. Cover with water (Approximately 6-8 cups), add the bay leaf, and cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 8 hours.
3. Then remove the bay leaf and the bone, and cut off any extra meat.
4. Add the ham and potatoes to the broth and cook on HIGH for 30 minutes.
5. Then reduce to LOW add the canned corn, heavy cream, and garam masala and cook an additional 15 minutes to thicken.

🗓️ Storage

STOREleftover soup in an airtight container in thefridgefor up to 5 days.

Surprisingly, we found that the soup tasted better on the second day because the spices had time to blend and infuse the flavors.

One downside to this recipe is that it is not freeze-able. The potatoes and heavy cream do not freeze well, and the potatoes will become mushy and the heavy cream will separate when thawed.

If I ever do find a way to freeze this soup and have it still taste just as good, I will definitely let you know!

💭 FAQs

🍲More Soup Recipes:

• Hearty Hamburger Soup
• Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
• Old Fashioned Goulash
• Creamy Bacon Potato Soup