Ham and Potato Soup
This easy Ham and Potato Soup Recipe is made in one pot on the stovetop. It's thick, hearty, comforting, and the perfect way to use any leftover holiday ham!
Prep
15
min
Cook
20
min
Serves
6
people
Level
beginner
📝 Ingredients
Serves 6🥬Fresh Produce(8)
- 1 large carrot diced, heaping 1/2 cup
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper optional
- 1 stalk celery diced, heaping 1/2 cup
- Fresh parsley optional
- 1-1/2 cups frozen corn (240-120 ml)
- 1-1/2 teaspoons minced garlic 2 cloves
- pepper
- 1 small yellow onion diced, 1 cup
🥩Meat & Seafood(2)
- 1-1/2 cups chicken stock or broth (240-120 ml)
- 1-1/2 cups cubed leftover ham fully cooked (240-120 ml)
🥛Dairy & Eggs(3)
- 3 cups milk 1%, 2% or whole
- 1 cup freshly shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
🫙Pantry Staples(2)
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 tablespoon olive oil divided
🧂Spices & Seasonings(4)
- 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- fresh thyme optional
- Salt
📦Other(1)
- 2 cups baby gold potatoes diced, peeled if desired
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
231
Protein
15g
Carbs
13g
Fat
15g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Add 1/2 tablespoon olive oil to a large, cast-iron pot over high heat. Once oil is shimmering, add chopped ham and sauté for 1–2 minutes until lightly browned. Remove to a paper-towel-lined plate. Quickly dry the pot and return to the stove top.
- 2
Over high heat, add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and once shimmering, add the diced onion, heaping carrot, and heaping celery. Sauté for 4–5 minutes until onion is translucent. Add in garlic and stir for another minute.
- 3
Add the butter to the pot and stir until melted. Once melted, sprinkle in the flour. Stir for 1 minute to cook off the raw flavor of the flour. Add the seasonings: dried thyme, dried oregano, and cayenne pepper (if desired). Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir seasonings for 30 seconds. Pour in 1 cup of milk and whisk until it starts to thicken (about 1 minute); then pour in the remaining 2 cups of milk. Whisk until it thickens (about 2–3 minutes), then add the chicken stock. Whisk until slightly thickened (another 1–2 minutes).
- 4
Bring the soup to a boil, slightly lower heat to medium, and add the potatoes to the soup. Cook for 8–12 minutes, stirring often. The soup will thicken as it cooks, and the potatoes should be fork tender after 8–10 minutes. (If the soup has thickened too much, add a splash of additional chicken stock; I usually add up to 1/2 cup extra.)
- 5
Once potatoes are fork tender, stir in the corn, ham, and freshly shredded cheese. Stir until just melted then taste for seasonings. Remove from heat.
- 6
Serve bowls of soup garnished with fresh thyme or parsley, if desired.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Sauté the ham separately for 1-2 minutes until lightly browned, then remove it before sautéing vegetables; this develops the Maillard reaction (creating savory depth) without overcooking the ham, which would toughen its proteins and make it rubbery when reheated later.technique1-2 minutes at high heat
- ✓Cook the flour roux for exactly 1 minute after adding it to melted butter before introducing milk; this gelatinizes the starch granules and eliminates raw flour taste while maintaining optimal thickening power (flour loses ~5-10% thickening capacity per minute of extended cooking above 212°F).timing1 minute at 350-375°F
- ✓Whisk in milk in two stages (1 cup first, then 2 cups) rather than all at once because the initial smaller volume allows the roux to fully hydrate and prevents lumps; adding all liquid simultaneously creates pockets of dry flour that won't disperse.technique1 cup, then 2 cups (3-to-1 final ratio)
- ✓Add potatoes when soup is at a rolling boil and maintain medium heat for 8-10 minutes; boiling promotes even cooking by preventing the exterior from softening before the center cooks (via convection), while the starch release (about 2-3% by weight) naturally thickens the soup.timing8-10 minutes at rolling boil transitioning to medium
- ✓Stir in cheese only after removing from heat and with residual heat around 160-170°F; this prevents fat separation and graininess that occurs when cheese fat globules break down above 180°F, keeping the texture creamy and emulsified.technique160-170°F residual temperature
Share this recipe
Prep
15
min
Cook
20
min
Serves
6
people
Level
beginner
Share this recipe
Ham and Potato Soup
This easy Ham and Potato Soup Recipe is made in one pot on the stovetop. It's thick, hearty, comforting, and the perfect way to use any leftover holiday ham!
📝 Ingredients
Serves 6🥬Fresh Produce(8)
- 1 large carrot diced, heaping 1/2 cup
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper optional
- 1 stalk celery diced, heaping 1/2 cup
- Fresh parsley optional
- 1-1/2 cups frozen corn (240-120 ml)
- 1-1/2 teaspoons minced garlic 2 cloves
- pepper
- 1 small yellow onion diced, 1 cup
🥩Meat & Seafood(2)
- 1-1/2 cups chicken stock or broth (240-120 ml)
- 1-1/2 cups cubed leftover ham fully cooked (240-120 ml)
🥛Dairy & Eggs(3)
- 3 cups milk 1%, 2% or whole
- 1 cup freshly shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
🫙Pantry Staples(2)
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 tablespoon olive oil divided
🧂Spices & Seasonings(4)
- 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- fresh thyme optional
- Salt
📦Other(1)
- 2 cups baby gold potatoes diced, peeled if desired
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
231
Protein
15g
Carbs
13g
Fat
15g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Add 1/2 tablespoon olive oil to a large, cast-iron pot over high heat. Once oil is shimmering, add chopped ham and sauté for 1–2 minutes until lightly browned. Remove to a paper-towel-lined plate. Quickly dry the pot and return to the stove top.
- 2
Over high heat, add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and once shimmering, add the diced onion, heaping carrot, and heaping celery. Sauté for 4–5 minutes until onion is translucent. Add in garlic and stir for another minute.
- 3
Add the butter to the pot and stir until melted. Once melted, sprinkle in the flour. Stir for 1 minute to cook off the raw flavor of the flour. Add the seasonings: dried thyme, dried oregano, and cayenne pepper (if desired). Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir seasonings for 30 seconds. Pour in 1 cup of milk and whisk until it starts to thicken (about 1 minute); then pour in the remaining 2 cups of milk. Whisk until it thickens (about 2–3 minutes), then add the chicken stock. Whisk until slightly thickened (another 1–2 minutes).
- 4
Bring the soup to a boil, slightly lower heat to medium, and add the potatoes to the soup. Cook for 8–12 minutes, stirring often. The soup will thicken as it cooks, and the potatoes should be fork tender after 8–10 minutes. (If the soup has thickened too much, add a splash of additional chicken stock; I usually add up to 1/2 cup extra.)
- 5
Once potatoes are fork tender, stir in the corn, ham, and freshly shredded cheese. Stir until just melted then taste for seasonings. Remove from heat.
- 6
Serve bowls of soup garnished with fresh thyme or parsley, if desired.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Sauté the ham separately for 1-2 minutes until lightly browned, then remove it before sautéing vegetables; this develops the Maillard reaction (creating savory depth) without overcooking the ham, which would toughen its proteins and make it rubbery when reheated later.technique1-2 minutes at high heat
- ✓Cook the flour roux for exactly 1 minute after adding it to melted butter before introducing milk; this gelatinizes the starch granules and eliminates raw flour taste while maintaining optimal thickening power (flour loses ~5-10% thickening capacity per minute of extended cooking above 212°F).timing1 minute at 350-375°F
- ✓Whisk in milk in two stages (1 cup first, then 2 cups) rather than all at once because the initial smaller volume allows the roux to fully hydrate and prevents lumps; adding all liquid simultaneously creates pockets of dry flour that won't disperse.technique1 cup, then 2 cups (3-to-1 final ratio)
- ✓Add potatoes when soup is at a rolling boil and maintain medium heat for 8-10 minutes; boiling promotes even cooking by preventing the exterior from softening before the center cooks (via convection), while the starch release (about 2-3% by weight) naturally thickens the soup.timing8-10 minutes at rolling boil transitioning to medium
- ✓Stir in cheese only after removing from heat and with residual heat around 160-170°F; this prevents fat separation and graininess that occurs when cheese fat globules break down above 180°F, keeping the texture creamy and emulsified.technique160-170°F residual temperature