Leftover Easter Ham Recipe-Ham Hock Soup (2024)

Looking for a comforting and flavorful soup recipe? Try this easy and delicious ham hock soup with hearty vegetables and tender ham hock. Perfect for a chilly evening!

Who doesn’t need a leftover Easter ham recipe? We are always left with a huge chunk of ham and that big ol’ bone, but this soup is the perfect solution and it’s so yummy!

That name probably doesn’t sound very cool. I thought about calling it Easter Soup since it’s such a convenient meal to make with your leftover Easter ham. I have no clue why simple can be so amazing, but it is. Plus, you really don’t do anything all day. I don’t even peel the potatoes, but you totally can if you want. Actually, I’m getting a little ahead of myself. Let’s take a step back. A quick note first, we actually bought a ham hock from our favorite pork farm, Christiansen. You can order online. Seriously the best pork ever.

Ok, so Easter is awesome. I love the colors and what it reminds us of. I love the food. I love the food. Oh, huh, guess I already said that… Seriously though, I love Easter. It’s kinda funny but for as much as I love a juicy spiral baked ham, we really only eat it at Christmas and Easter. I have no clue why. We ate it occasionally for Sunday dinner growing up, but for some reason I don’t take the time to make it. After we had a ham dinner growing up, my mom always made ham hock and bean soup with the leftovers. It’s simple, filling, and yummy.

Ingredients for Ham Hock Soup

You only need 4 ingredients to make this ham and bean soup. Well, 5 if you count water. That’s the beauty of a ham hock. It adds all the flavor you need to the broth and gives you yummy chunks of ham as well. Here is what you will need:

• Ham Bone: You can use a leftover ham bone from your spiraled ham or you can ask for a ham bone from the butcher. Make sure there is still some meat left on the bone.
• Potatoes: Red potatoes or Yukon gold potatoes work great.
• Fresh Green Beans: I secretly prefer home canned green beans because I love how soft they get, but if I don’t have home canned, then it’s absolutely fresh green beans.
• Water: Used to boil the ham bone and becomes the base of the soup.
• Pepper: Adds flavor.

You might be surprised to see that there isn’t any salt in this recipe. Ham, and especially a ham hock is a very salty pork so as the ham hock simmers, it flavors the broth with enough salt for my taste. You can of course add salt if you would like.

How to Make Ham Hock Soup

I know that 90% of you are probably like me, you have a hunk of ham leftover after dinner. The ham itself can easily be used for killer ham and cheese sandwiches on these killer potato rolls, but what about the bone with all of that yummy meat hanging off? Here’s your solution. Take the ham hock (that middle bone) and place it in a large stock pot. Fill it with water until it just covers it. Let it come to a soft boil (like medium, or medium low heat) and let it cook all day long or at least 3-4 hours. The meat will be falling off the bone and you’ll have a yummy broth for soup.

Now, if your water is cooking off you may need to occasionally refill the pot to keep the bone covered. If you want it less soupy and more like a little broth with your meat, beans, and potatoes don’t fill as much water back up throughout the day. Anyway, about an hour before dinner, pull out the bone, shred the meat, add the meat in, toss in your green beans, and 30 minutes later add chunks of potato and a little pepper. And you’re done! I know, it’s simple, but trust me, it’s comfort food and delicious. Plus, you aren’t wasting all of that meat and bone anymore!

Is Ham Hock Pre-Cooked?

Ham hock are usually fully cooked. They are somewhat tough, and that is why you cook them down until they fall off the bones.

Are Green Beans Good For You?

Green beans provide many health benefits. Young, tendergreen beansare agoodsource of vitamin C, dietary fiber, folate, vitamin K and silicon, which promotes healthy bones, skin, and hair.

Are Red Potatoes Lower in Calories Than Russet?

Red potatoes are a little lower in calories than russet potatoes. A 6 oz. russet has about 170 calories. A red potato of the same size contains about 155 calories.

Variations

One of the reasons I love this recipe is how simple it is, but you can add more vegetables or other high protein ingredients. Some options are:

• Carrots
• Onions
• Celery
• Peas
• White Beans (cannellini beans, navy beans, great northern beans, etc)
• Lentils

Storing and Reheating

Ham hock soup stores for up to 5 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I like to reheat a bowl or single serving of soup in the microwave. If I’m going to heat up multiple servings, I like to reheat it on the stove top in a sauce pan.

This pork hock soup also freezes extremely well. Let it cool completely and then place it in a ziploc bag and lay flat in the freezer. It will keep for up to 3 months. Let the soup thaw in the fridge overnight and then reheat it on in a saucepan on the stove top.

Warm, hearty, and full of flavor, this ham hock soup recipe is the perfect comfort food for a chilly day. Made with simple ingredients and easy to prepare, it’s a must-try for any soup lover.

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• Ham and Cheese Breakfast Stromboli
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