Unless you’re from the south or have someone in your family who appreciates down-home cooking, you might not have a lot of ham bone recipes in your recipe book.
But if you have leftover ham and aren’t sure what to do with it, you’re no doubt searching for some good dishes to make to use it up!
With that in mind, I decided to come up with this collection of 10 of the best, most soulful, comforting ham bones recipes I’ve ever tried.
If you’re looking for a hearty, delicious dish that sticks to your ribs and keeps you full all night long, any of these recipes are perfect for that.
Whether you’re in the mood for a filling soup or a handy side dish ham that uses the leftover bone, there should be something here for you.
So get ready to dive into some good, old-fashioned, southern home-style cooking with these ten ham bone recipes.
10 Great Recipes For a Leftover Ham Bone
1. Nana’s Epic Navy Bean Ham Bone Soup
This simple, 10-ingredient ham and bean soup is a must-try for anyone who loves hot, somewhat spicy soups on those long, cold evenings.
It has few “solid” ingredients – just ham bone, navy beans, and onions – but thanks to the herbs and spices you’ll add to it, it feels like a whole, complex meal with an absolute plethora of flavors.
There’s garlic, red pepper, fresh thyme, and more, and together, they make this soup incredible.
Give it a try the next time you need something to warm your belly.
2. Ham and Potato Soup
If you’re looking for a soup with even more chunks and heartiness, you might want to try ham and potato soup instead.
Thanks to the whipping cream, it’s wonderfully thick and creamy.
It also has plenty of diced veggies and chunks of ham for you to enjoy.
For example, there are potatoes, onions, carrots, parsnips, celery, and any other veggies you’d like to add.
It still features plenty of herbs and spices for a robust, full-bodied flavor, and it takes only 10 minutes to prepare (but another 90 to cook).
With only 11 grams of fat per serving, it’s not that bad for you either, though it might have too many carbs for someone on a carbohydrate-restricted diet.
3. Leftover Ham Bone Lentil Soup
The original author of this recipe describes it as “hearty, wholesome, and packed with flavor,” and I’m not sure there’s a more apt description.
Lentils might not be the most exciting ingredient to add to a soup, but this particular soup has a lot more going on than just the lentils.
There are tender veggies (onions, carrots, celery), flavorful spices and herbs (parsley, thyme, garlic, red pepper), and more.
And in case the chicken broth base and ham bone weren’t enough meat for you, you’ll also add an entire pound of sausages!
Yeah, no one will be complaining of hunger after eating this one.
4. Collard Greens With Ham Bone
Most southern chefs know this already, but if you’re someone who doesn’t, here goes: You can even use ham bone to spice up your collard greens!
It might not be as healthy as eating the greens by themselves, but most people would agree that it certainly tastes better.
It gives them a salty, meaty kick that mellows their natural bitterness.
If you’d like to eat more collard greens but don’t really like them, try them cooked this way next time. It might just surprise you.
5. Red Beans and Rice
As a frequent visitor to New Orleans and an unapologetic mass consumer of Cajun-style food, I love red beans and rice just about any way you can make them.
This recipe, though, is probably one of my favorites. That’s because there’s so much more going on than simple red beans and rice.
There are also onions, celery, minced garlic, bay leaves, andouille sausage, ham bone, and more.
It takes a while to make this delicious dish, especially if you add in the 4 hours of soaking time for the beans, but the end result is well worth the time and effort.
6. Ham Stock
You can also use leftover ham bone to make ham stock, an excellent base for soups, stews, and other recipes.
It’s not too greasy and has a ton of natural flavor.
Best of all, you can freeze it for up to a year, so you can make it in large batches without having to worry about it going to waste.
7. Split Pea Soup With Ham
Split pea soup isn’t one of the prettiest soups there is, but it actually tastes great, especially if you add ham bone and diced ham.
This recipe for the soup features both. The flavor is rich and somewhat smoky, and the thick texture makes the soup seem even more filling than it already is.
It’s a relatively quick option as well, taking only 90 minutes from start to finish.
8. Smoky Ham and Black Bean Soup
Of course, you don’t have to make split pea to enjoy a delightfully smoky, hearty soup. This spicy, veggie-filled ham and black bean soup also fits the bill.
It has a wonderfully rich flavor that’s almost too complex – but phenomenal – to describe.
It’s one of those meals you can’t really understand until you try it, but you can tell just by smelling it that it’ll be amazing.
You can make it even tastier by loading it down with cheese, cilantro, sour cream, green onions, or anything else you like in your spicy soups.
9. Slow Cooker Pasta Fagioli Ham Bone Soup
This soup is so thick that you almost can’t call it soup anymore.
With a generous amount of pasta, a thick, saucy-like broth, tons of veggies, ham, and more, it has it all.
This is not the Olive Garden‘s pasta fagioli. This is something entirely different and, in my opinion, so much better.
It takes several hours to make, but only 10 minutes to prepare.
Everything else happens in the slow cooker, so it’s not difficult at all. And even if it were, the taste would be worth it.
10. Black-Eyed Peas With Leftover Ham Bone
If your family loves black-eyed peas, greens, and ham for New Year’s Day, then you’ll love this dish. It’s like you’re combining them into one delicious meal.
It may not look all that appealing, but it tastes fantastic – salty, fresh, earthy, meaty, and yummy.
It’s an easy way to get your New Year’s luck, money, and health out of the way all at one time!
It also tastes great on a lazy Saturday any time of the year.
10 Ways to Use Up a Leftover Ham Bone
These leftover ham bone recipes make it easy to use up your whole ham! From soups to collard greens to red beans and rice, put that ham bone to good use with these dishes.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Select your favorite recipe.
- Organize all the required ingredients.
- Prep a leftover ham bone recipe in 30 minutes or less!
