Empty-the-Fridge Ham Soup : 6 Steps (with Pictures)

After Christmas, we still had a healthy hank of ham left to enjoy. We used some up in sandwiches, and some in Leftover Ham Hash with Pineapple. What do with that last bit? And some holiday meals odds and ends that included leftover succotash, black eyed peas and green beans, rice, and a bit of frozen diced potatoes? Why make soup, of course!

This comforting and flavorful, super easy recipe reminds us that soup is almost the perfect dish. All soup needs is the time to fuse all the great complementary flavors of the main protein with vegetables and the broth base, and anyone can look like a gourmet cook. Either that, or we're super easy to please - but this made a great soup that we think others will enjoy, too!

Step 1: Ingredients

For our Leftover Ham Soup we used:

Leftover Ham, of course - about 3 cups worth, chopped
Leftover Succotash (limas and corn in a butter sauce) - about 1 1/2 cups
Leftover Blackeyed peas with green beans - about 1 cup
Leftover Frozen diced potatoes- about one cup
Leftover cooked white rice - about 1 cup
1/2 white onion - diced
Concentrated vegetable broth base - 1 tsp/8 ounces of boiling water
Old Bay Seasoning - 2 tspns or to taste
Ground pepper to taste
Dried basil - about 1 tspn

Step 2: Saute Onions & Ham

Saute your diced onion, and then add your ham, and stir together over low heat.

Step 3: Add Water, Left Over Veggies & Soup Base

We used about 6 cups of water, dumped in all the leftovers, seasonings of choice, and brought the whole thing to a roiling boil, before adding the vegetable broth base - about 5 teaspoons.