Slow Cooker Ham and Potato Soup (Crockpot Recipe)

Ingredients needed for slow cooker ham and potato soup

Crock pot ham and potato soup instructions:

1. In a large slow cooker, add the first 8 ingredients (potatoes through, and including, the chicken stock).
2. Stir, cover, and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours,  or high for 4-5 hours or until potatoes are tender.
3. Whisk together, or shake milk and cornstarch until smooth.
4. Stir the mixture into the ham and potato soup in the Crockpot.
5. Cover and cook on HIGH until thickened, stirring occasionally.
6. Turn off heat, stir in cheese, sour cream and parsley until cheese is melted.
7. Serve sprinkled with extra cheese, sour cream, and parsley, if desired.

Substitutions:

If you don't like corn and peas in your ham and potato soup you are welcome to leave them out! This is YOUR soup and this recipe is meant to be a guide to create a recipe that your family will love. I would suggest substituting in other vegetables in equal proportions. Other vegetable substitutions could be celery, green beans, carrots or broccoli.

What if I don't have leftover ham?

It is not a problem if you don't have leftover ham for this recipe. I feel ya! Sometimes you want to make ham and potato soup but don't have leftovers! Pick up a few ham steaks from the meat case or have the deli slice you a THICK piece of deli ham. I would not suggest using lunch meat ham for this recipe. I have not tried it but I can imagine it would be prone to falling apart.

All you pork lovers need to check out my sous vide pork chop recipe!

Can this be done on the stove top instead of crock pot?

1. In a large stock pot, add the first 8 ingredients (potatoes through, and including, the chicken stock).
2. Stir, cover, and cook on medium high heat for 45 minutes to an hour or until potatoes are tender.
3. Once the potatoes become tender, in a small bowl or closed canning jar, whisk together, or shake milk and cornstarch until smooth.
4. Stir the mixture into the ham and potato soup.
5. Cover and cook on high heat for 10-15 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally.
6. Turn off heat, stir in cheese, sour cream and parsley until cheese is melted.
7. Serve sprinkled with extra cheese, sour cream and parsley, if desired.

What to serve with ham and potato soup?

I am a big fan of dunking a ripped-off piece of crusty bread in my ham and potato soup. Or bake off a pan of Rhodes rolls. There is no shame in taking help from the freezer section at the grocery store!

How do I reheat leftover ham and potato soup?

I am a big fan of reheating leftover ham and potato soup on the stovetop in a small saucepan. I just a splash of milk to loosen up the soup as it heats.  Heat to a simmer and stir. Alternatively, you can heat the leftovers in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave on high for 1 minute. Be sure to cover the soup in case there is splashing of the soup as it heats. Stir and continue heating in 15-second intervals until the desired temperature is reached.

How do I store leftovers?

As with other soups, completely cool leftover ham and potato soup and store in the refrigerator in a closed container for up to a week.

Can I freeze the leftovers?

Soups with dairy components (this recipe contains milk, sour cream, and cheese) generally don't freeze well as they can separate and become grainy when thawed.

However, you could freeze this soup with some modifications:

Before freezing:

• Make the soup but stop before adding the dairy ingredients (milk, cheese, and sour cream).
• Cool the soup completely.
• Store in airtight freezer containers, leaving about 1 inch of space at the top for expansion.
• Label with the date and contents.

When ready to eat:

• Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
• Reheat on the stovetop or in the slow cooker.
• Once heated, then add the milk, cheese, and sour cream as directed in the original recipe.
• Stir until well combined and heated through.