Ham and Sweet Potato Soup
Gluten Free Living – 2014
Oh, I just love this soup! Ham and Sweet Potato Soup has lots of delicious leftover spiral-cut ham, sweet potatoes, onions, leeks, carrots and celery in a wonderful cheese sauce that’s so satisfying to the taste buds. Soups are becoming my comfort food of choice (second only to salads), and this one in particular is wonderful.
Follow Me On Instagram!
I started with a family favorite: Canadian Cheese Soup and switched out sweet potatoes for the regular potatoes and added a few other ingredients. This tasty recipe is also gluten free for those on gluten free diets. If you enjoy ham, cheese and sweet potatoes you are sure to be delighted with this amazing soup.
I was pulling some old food containers out of my freezer the other day to clean it out and remembered I’d put some leftover ham in it from a few months back. I was trying to figure out ways to use the ham without a lot of pasta or canned soups when I remembered this great recipe.
After making all the substitutions it turned out as well, if not better, than my Canadian Cheese Soup recipe, and that’s one fantastic soup. I suppose it’s because I love sweet potatoes so much. Plus, it doesn’t hurt to have a quart of half-and-half or heavy cream and a pound of cheese in the recipe! Granted, that’s a lot of dairy, but it does make about 10 large servings.
Normally, I would have used only about two cups of ham, but after cutting up what was left over it measured just over four cups. I decided to use all of it since my husband likes a LOT of meat in his soups, salads or casseroles and, I didn’t want to refreeze the ham or think of something else to do with it. This meat soup is so hearty and filling, has lots of texture and taste, and really doesn’t take all that long to prepare if you have cooked ham on hand.
If you’re looking for a tasty soup recipe to use up sweet potatoes or other garden veggies, or to use up leftover ham from holidays or other uses, then try out Ham and Sweet Potato Soup sometime soon. You will drool over the flavors just like I did. 😉
When I initially posted this recipe in July 2014 I loved the soup but I was really unhappy with my pictures. I used a vegetable broth so the soup ended up looking brownish rather than the cheesy look it’s supposed to have. I decided to remake this recipe (January 2018) for our Friday night care group. This time I used a homemade chicken broth which is much clearer in color than vegetable broth. (Regular chicken broth is also fine).
The results were spectacular. This soup was the rave of our meal. Almost everyone went back for two bowls of this amazing chowder. If you want to drool over one of the most scrumptious soups ever, then give this amazing Ham and Sweet Potato Soup a try. It will sure warm you up on cold, winter nights. And be sure to share a bowl with your family and friends. 🙂
Ham and Sweet Potato Soup has a smooth cheese flavor and is a great comfort food.
Ham and sweet potatoes go so well together. Then add half-and-half and cheese and WOW! Flavor explosion.
I served our Ham and Sweet Potato Soup with Whole Wheat Parsley Herb Bread. Yes, it dunks really well in this soup. 🙂
Here’s what I did.
I used these ingredients. While I used a homemade chicken stock, pre-purchased chicken broth is also fine.
Pour chicken broth into your largest Dutch oven or stock pot. This one really wasn’t large enough. I should have used my 7-quart Le Cruset Dutch oven.
Add sweet potatoes
Add diced onion, leeks, celery, yellow and green bell peppers and sliced carrots. Cover with lid and simmer until veggies are tender–about 20-30 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare sauce. Melt butter in a separate saucepan. Add gluten free flour. (You can also use regular flour, if desired).
Whisk ingredients until combined.
Stir in half-and-half about 1/4 cup at a time until all of the cream is incorporated.
Add cheese.
Stir to combine and heat through until thick.
Add salt, pepper and fresh parsley. I used pink Himalayan sea salt.
Stir again to combine. Allow the sauce to get thick, then set aside until veggies are done in the Dutch oven.
Here all the veggies have cooked until tender.
Add the cheese sauce and ham pieces. Stir to combine. You can see that my pot wasn’t quite big enough. 🙁
Heat through another 5 minutes or so.
The cheese sauce is thick and the ham and veggies are in chunks (but not overcooked to the point of becoming mush!)
Ham and Sweet Potato Soup is seasoned so minimally but it tastes so wonderfully.
Ham and Sweet Potato Soup is a great recipe to use up garden produce, too.
Here’s the recipe.
HAM AND SWEET POTATO SOUP
(Recipe inspired from Susan Brindle’s Canadian Cheese Soup, Northborough, MA)
Ham and Sweet Potato Soup
Equipment
- 1 large Dutch Oven kettle, or stock pot with lid
- 1 sharp knife to cut vegetables
- 1 sauce pan
- 1 whisk
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- 1 wooden spoon
- 1 soup ladle
- 1 vegetable peeler
Ingredients
- 5 cups chicken broth or homemade chicken stock
- 1 medium sweet onion chopped
- 1 leek green top removed, washed thoroughly and sliced or diced
- 1 cup celery chopped
- 1 cup carrots peeled and sliced
- 2 large sweet potatoes peeled and cubed
- 2 tsp. sea salt or kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
- 1 stick unsalted butter (1/2 cup)
- 1/2 cup gluten free all-purpose flour (you can also use regular flour)
- 1 quart half-and-half or heavy whipping cream
- 1 lb. Monterey Jack cheese shredded or cheddar cheese, shredded (2 8-oz. bags)
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley minced
- 4 cups diced ham
- 1 red, yellow or orange bell pepper chopped (I used one yellow and half of a green bell pepper)
Instructions
- Pour chicken broth into a large Dutch oven.
- Add onion, leek, celery, carrots, sweet potatoes and bell peppers and cook covered with lid over low to medium heat until veggies are tender – about 20-30 minutes.
- In a separate sauce pan, melt butter.
- Whisk in flour.
- Slowly add half-and-half about ¼ cup at a time until all the half-and-half has been incorporated.
- Stir in cheese and allow to thicken.
- Add parsley, salt and pepper.
- Stir to combine.
- Add cheese sauce and ham to veggie/broth mixture.
- Stir and heat through.
Notes
© Can’t Stay Out of the Kitchen
Nutrition
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 sweet onion, chopped
- 1 leek, green top removed, quartered and sliced
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 cup sliced carrots
- 2 large sweet potatoes, cubed
- 2 tsp. kosher salt
- ½ tsp. ground black pepper
- 1 stick butter
- ½ cup [url href=”http://www.bobsredmill.com/” target=”_blank” title=”bobs red mill”]Bob’s Red Mill[/url] gluten free all-purpose flour
- 1 quart half-and-half
- 1 lb. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded, or sharp cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup fresh parsley
- 4 cups diced ham
- Simmer vegetable and chicken broths with onion, leek, celery, carrots, sweet potatoes, salt and pepper until veggies are tender – about 20-30 minutes.
- In a separate pan, melt butter.
- Whisk in flour.
- Slowly add half-and-half about ¼ cup at a time until all the half-and-half has been incorporated.
- Stir in cheese and parsley and allow to thicken.
- Add cheese sauce and ham to veggie/broth mixture.
- Stir and heat through.
I love eating homemade bread with homemade soup.
This close up allows you to see the texture of the soup. Give this recipe a try and see for yourself just how tasty and delicious it is.
I wish you could taste it too. Ham and Sweet Potato Soup is marvelous.
You may also enjoy these delicious recipes!
Loaded Baked Sweet Potato Soup
Southwest Sweet Potato Chowder
Ham and Sweet Potato Soup
Equipment
- 1 large Dutch Oven kettle, or stock pot with lid
- 1 sharp knife to cut vegetables
- 1 sauce pan
- 1 whisk
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- 1 wooden spoon
- 1 soup ladle
- 1 vegetable peeler
Ingredients
- 5 cups chicken broth or homemade chicken stock
- 1 medium sweet onion chopped
- 1 leek green top removed, washed thoroughly and sliced or diced
- 1 cup celery chopped
- 1 cup carrots peeled and sliced
- 2 large sweet potatoes peeled and cubed
- 2 tsp. sea salt or kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
- 1 stick unsalted butter (1/2 cup)
- 1/2 cup gluten free all-purpose flour (you can also use regular flour)
- 1 quart half-and-half or heavy whipping cream
- 1 lb. Monterey Jack cheese shredded or cheddar cheese, shredded (2 8-oz. bags)
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley minced
- 4 cups diced ham
- 1 red, yellow or orange bell pepper chopped (I used one yellow and half of a green bell pepper)
Instructions
- Pour chicken broth into a large Dutch oven.
- Add onion, leek, celery, carrots, sweet potatoes and bell peppers and cook covered with lid over low to medium heat until veggies are tender – about 20-30 minutes.
- In a separate sauce pan, melt butter.
- Whisk in flour.
- Slowly add half-and-half about ¼ cup at a time until all the half-and-half has been incorporated.
- Stir in cheese and allow to thicken.
- Add parsley, salt and pepper.
- Stir to combine.
- Add cheese sauce and ham to veggie/broth mixture.
- Stir and heat through.
5 Comments
20 Best Ham and Potato Cheese soup – Best Round Up Recipe Collections
November 25, 2022 at 10:53 am
[…] Best Ham And Potato Cheese Soup from Ham and Sweet Potato Soup – Can t Stay Out of the Kitchen. Source Image: cantstayoutofthekitchen.com. Visit this site for details: cantstayoutofthekitchen.com […]
Loaded Baked Sweet Potato Soup – Can't Stay Out Of The Kitchen
January 31, 2015 at 8:29 pm
[…] Ham and Sweet Potato Soup […]
Canadian Cheese Soup – Can't Stay Out Of The Kitchen
January 26, 2015 at 4:37 pm
[…] Ham and Sweet Potato Soup […]
Linda Baker
July 9, 2014 at 2:29 pm
Teresa, this looks oh so yummy. Could I do out without the flour? Or would it just not be thick enough? Have you ever used agar agar to thicken? I haven’t, but have heard about it..
Teresa
July 9, 2014 at 4:51 pm
Hey, Linda, I have gluten free flour if you want to borrow some to try. It only uses a half cup. I think any thickening agent, even cornstarch would work. I would not use potato flour as it gets globby.