Ham Bone Soup

Name: Ham Bone Soup
Total time: 1 h 45 min
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients: 4 strips bacon, thick cut, sliced into 1/2-inch pieces; 3 large carrots, peeled and sliced; 2 celery stalks, trimmed and sliced; 1 large onion, peeled and diced; 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 1 ham bone 1 1/4 pounds, cut in half or in thirds ask your butcher to do this; 1 bay leaf; 2 1/2 teaspoons salt, plus additional to taste; 1/2 head green cabbage, shredded about 8 cups; 3 cups cooked beans rinsed and drained if canned, such as cannellini, navy or pinto; 1 small bunch kale, ribs removed and leaves chopped into bite-size pieces 6 cups; Black pepper, to taste; Hot sauce or apple cider vinegar, to taste

By Melissa Clark

Updated Feb. 3, 2025

Ham Bone Soup — Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times

Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Rating: 5(2,137)
Comments: Read comments

This hearty soup requires a good afternoon simmer, filling your house with the aromas of all things good and warming. The marrow imbues the broth with a silkiness and richness, and the kale is thrown in for color and health. You might want hot sauce, or not. Either way, a bowl of this is the kind of thing that cures what ails you.

Featured in: A Bare-Bones Soup Recipe

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Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings

4strips bacon, thick cut, sliced into ½-inch pieces
3large carrots, peeled and sliced
2celery stalks, trimmed and sliced
1large onion, peeled and diced
3garlic cloves, finely chopped
1ham bone 1¼ pounds, cut in half or in thirds ask your butcher to do this
1bay leaf
2½teaspoons salt, plus additional to taste
½head green cabbage, shredded about 8 cups
3cups cooked beans rinsed and drained if canned, such as cannellini, navy or pinto
1small bunch kale, ribs removed and leaves chopped into bite-size pieces 6 cups
Black pepper, to taste
Hot sauce or apple cider vinegar, to taste

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp, 5 to 7 minutes; remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate.
Step 2
Add the carrots, celery and onion to the pot. Stir until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute. Drop in the ham bone and bay leaf. Cover with 8 cups water and 2 teaspoons salt. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in the cabbage and simmer 30 minutes. Add the beans and simmer 15 minutes. Stir in the kale and simmer until soft, but vibrantly green, about 15 minutes. Season with the remaining ½ teaspoon salt (or more to taste). Add lots of pepper and a dash of hot sauce or vinegar. Serve with crumbled bacon on top.

Ratings

5 out of 5

2,137 user ratings

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Comments

Carole7 years ago

I adapted this to use a left over cooked Ham Bone and pieces of ham.
Follow directions for first 5 ingredients. Then add ham bone ( no need to cut in half). Simmer 2 hours -- add water as needed to cover.
Then remove bone, add 4 cups chicken broth, and diced left over ham and then follow the rest of the recipe.

Lisa7 years ago

I made the ham broth the day before I made the soup, in my slow cooker - whole hambone, 1 chopped onion, three or four stalks of celery and 4 chopped carrots with 2 liters of water and simmered on high for 5 hours. The bone split naturally into about five separate pieces, infusing the broth with gelatin.. I refrigerated the whole thing overnight which brought the fat to the top where it was easy to skim. I threw away the solids and then went about using it as the broth base for the soup. I

Melisa7 years ago

I just use my ham bone whole instead of worrying about cutting it up. It seems to work just as well in my experience.

Drew P1 month ago

Delicious soup, pretty much ham stock with lots of veggies. I added at least 50% water.

Shelagh1 month ago

This was excellent. Started with 1/2 pound dried cannellini beans quick-soaked (boil 3 mins then sit for an hour), simmered the bone in about 10c water while the beans soaked, then added the drained beans to the ham bone pot, simmered till beans were almost tender. Then proceeded as directed but with a little shorter simmering. A dash or two of Tabasco is essential imo.

MsMcK4 months ago

Really delicious soup. I could not find a nitrate-free ham hock, or a ham bone period, So I used a rich chicken bone broth in place of water, skipped the first 30 min simmer, and otherwise followed the recipe. My family ate it up with undignified gusto.

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