Crock-pot Ham Soup is a great leftover idea for your ham hock.
Slow Cooker Saturdays
Do you have leftover ham from Christmas? We don’t have ham but may be a few times a year, so when we have it, we really enjoy it heated up with cheese on top, in sandwiches (or on rolls since we rarely buy bread anymore), or as great addition to scrambled eggs. Since I like to make use of all parts of the ham, I wanted to use the ham hock and decided to make a soup.
The Results:
The ham hock was big, so the water covering it took up almost the entire slow cooker (I used a 5.5 quart). I went with it, but I was afraid it would spill out. It didn’t. I ended up with so much soup that we had it with a couple of friends one night, and then for the next three nights after that. No one complained! Next time if I have that much soup, I would add 1 more can of beans, and another can of pureed veggies. I did love how the veggies thickened the soup! It gave it more substance. I also threw in some leftover mashed potatoes to thicken it, too.
**Update 12/13 to add flavor to your soup sauté the onions in a cast iron skillet before putting the in the crock-pot. It will enhance the flavor immensely-this step is well worth the work!
Crock-Pot Ham Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ham hock
- Enough water to cover the the ham hock
- 1 cup or more of diced or shredded ham
- 1 15 oz. can of kidney beans drained
- 1 15 oz. can of corn
- 1 15 oz. can of diced tomatoes
- 1 15 oz. can of mixed vegetables
- 1 15 oz. can of mixed vegetables warmed up I used the microwave for 1 minute, and pureed in a blender
- 1 cup mashed potatoes optional (make sure they are lactose-free if needed)
- 1 onion diced (I used a red onion because that is what I had)
- 1 T thyme
- dash of cayenne pepper or other flavorings as desired
- salt to flavor optional
Instructions
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Insert ham hock in the slow cooker.
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Cover the ham hock with water.
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Add the rest of the ingredients minus the thyme, cayenne pepper, and salt, as the salt will come out of the ham, and you don't want the soup too salty.
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Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.
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Add additional seasonings in the last hour.
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Take out the ham hock, and cut off and dice any ham on it, adding it back to the soup.
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Salt to taste if needed, and enjoy!
Pictures updated 12/13.
Have you ever crock-potted a ham?
