Cold weather calls for hearty, cozy meals and a creamy ham and potato soup fits the bill perfectly.
This soup recipe is dairy free — the "creamy" part comes from blended cauliflower and potatoes! All in all it's a veggie-packed meal that'll fill you up and offers a great opportunity for using up leftover ham.
Plus, it's paleo, Whole30 friendly, and gluten free!
How to make a creamy soup without dairy
Wondering how to pull off a creamy soup without milk — dairy or non-dairy?
While I have made creamy dairy free soups in the past using non-dairy milks, there is another way!
Using neutral-tasting vegetables like potatoes or cauliflower, you can blend a creamy base to this soup without adding any thickeners or milks.
To accomplish this, you only need an immersion blender or hot liquid-friendly blender, like a Vitamix!
For this dairy free ham and potato soup, I used both cauliflower and potatoes to create the creamy base. If you prefer, you can use more or less cauliflower as you see fit — just make sure to include at least 2 potatoes or you've no longer got ham and potato soup.
An easy way to use up leftover ham
If you've got leftover ham on hand from cooking up a big meal (holidays, anyone?) soup is an awesome way to use up the excess.
Ham is a very forgiving meat to make a soup with; it won't really get tough from simmering too long. It also imparts a touch of extra flavor — I don't think chicken would work as well here!
Still, this soup recipe only uses 2 cups of ham. If you've got a relative hoarde of ham to use up, here are some other ideas:
- Quick Sauteed Collard Greens with Ham
- Simple Split Pea and Ham Soup
- Add the ham to your morning egg scramble or omelette
- Sub ham for the sausage in this Spinach, Sausage, & Mushroom Frittata
More cozy soup recipes to try
Stuck on soup. I've got you! Give one of these dairy free soup recipes a try next!
- Leek, Mushroom, and Chicken Soup
- Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Soup (Paleo, Dairy Free)
- Dairy Free Chicken Pot Pie Soup
- Whole30 Chicken Poblano Soup
- Silky Butternut Squash & Apple Soup with Toasted Pecans
Did you try this recipe? I'd love to hear what you think! Comment below or tag me on Instagram.
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Creamy Ham & Potato Soup
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Cold weather calls for hearty, cozy meals and a creamy ham and potato soup fits the bill perfectly. Feel free to sub out the cauliflower and add 2 additional potatoes, or add more cauliflower and reduce by 2 potatoes.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons ghee or butter
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 stalk celery, diced
- 1 large carrot, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon sage
- 10 ounce bag frozen cauliflower florets
- 4 large potatoes, diced
- 6 cups bone broth or chicken broth
- 2 cups leftover ham
Instructions
- Melt ghee in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and carrot, sauteing for 5 minutes or until soft. Add salt, pepper, thyme, sage and bay leaf, cooking for another 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add the diced potatoes, cauliflower, and broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes or until the potatoes and cauliflower are fork tender.
- Use a soup ladle to transfer the cauliflower, some of the potatoes, and some of the broth to a heat-safe blender (like a Vitamix). Blend until smooth, then return back to the pot. Alternatively, use an immersion blender to partially blend the mixture in the pot (although you’ll end up with portions of cauliflower in the soup this way).
- Add the ham to the soup and simmer for another 5 minutes to heat through. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve warm.
Keywords: dairy free, gluten free, paleo, whole30, ham and potato soup, ham soup
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