Italian Ham, Potato, and Spinach Soup
I enjoyed a delightful lunch with two friends the other day in one of their homes. It was a crisp fall day, and the host decided soup was in order. She was right.
I’d been mulling what to fix for supper, and had come up with an idea using items I already had in my freezer, refrigerator, and kitchen. Mostly I was thinking of a ham potato soup. I loved the seasonings in the soup my hostess served, so I came home and concocted my own recipe using some of the same seasonings but different ingredients.
Start by sauteeing your onion and garlic in a little bit of chicken stock or some butter, then add the rest of the stock and the potatoes. Season with sea salt and pepper, and cook until the potatoes are tender.
I highly recommend making your own stock. Cook up a chicken, debone it, and save the broth for later. For this recipe, I had several containers of broth/stock in my freezer because I had purchased chicken on sale. I cooked up a huge pot of chicken pieces, deboned and put the meat and the brother in the freezer in separate containers. This beats any broth, chicken stock, or chicken bouillion you buy in the store. No preservatives and no sodium. It’s a win-win!
Add spinach (frozen or fresh) OR Kale, chopped, cooked (real) ham, and then add cream and more seasoning as desired.
Simmer until the vegetables are completely heated through, add some parmesan cheese on top (optional) and serve.
There’s something about the aroma of onion and garlic mingled with chicken and ham that speaks of comfort and home. I’ve never been a fan of spinach or kale, but this soup welcomes you to the table with a delightful flair, and you won’t even know the spinach is there! Mostly it will seem like a ham potato soup.
I served it up to my man for supper. After we came home from church that evening he finished it up (an entire quart full). This one was a hit and I will be making it again.
Italian Ham, Potato, and Spinach Soup
Ingredients
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 3 cups diced potatoes
- 3/4 tsp. Sea salt
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 1 Tbsp. butter
- 1/2 - 1 large onion chopped
- 1 clove garlic diced
- 1-2 cups spinach or kale more as desired
- 2 cups chopped ham
- 1-2 cups heavy cream
- Parmasean cheese optional
Instructions
- Melt butter and saute onion and garlic
- Add chicken stock and potatoes, and cook until the potatoes are tender
- Add ham and seasonings
- Add spinach (or kale)
- Add heavy cream and heat until warm
- Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top