Table of Contents
- This potato chowder is the soup recipe to make.
- Everything you’ll need to make this recipe.
- Here’s how to make this recipe.
- These pro tips will make this recipe a success.
- Frequently asked questions about this recipe.
- You'll love these other soup recipes.
- Watch how to make this recipe.
- Have I convinced you to make this recipe?
- Ham & Potato Chowder Recipe
This ham and potato chowder is one of the most comforting soups to make during the winter months. This traditional and homey soup takes little work to prepare and has pieces of ham, cheese, and of course, potatoes. Together, they form a delicious, hot meal for any cold day of the year. Make it once, and you’ll want it again and again!
This potato chowder is the soup recipe to make.
A chowder is a soup that’s thickened with milk and a roux. The ingredients can vary and change, with many areas having a chowder than defines them. This potato chowder is a simple soup. As a family, we would often make this soup around the holidays when we gathered together. The flavors satisfy all ages. The base of onion and celery creates the layer and is fortified with carrots and ham. Potatoes are the main ingredient. The key is using red-skinned potatoes. As they cook, some will break down and give body to the soup while others will hold their texture. Instead of using a roux to thicken, some of the potatoes and vegetables are blended until smooth and added back to the soup. This is a great way to have a thick and hearty soup without the work or added ingredients of a roux. The result is a chowder-like soup full of flavor that will please everyone.
Everything you’ll need to make this recipe.
- Butter has a richer, more well-rounded flavor. Since potatoes do not have a ton of flavor on their own, butter is used to heighten their impact in the soup.
- Potatoes are the main ingredient. Red-skinned potatoes work well. Red-skinned potatoes cook quickly and have a great texture in the soup. No need to peel these thin-skinned potatoes, which will help with prep time.
- Carrots are cut slightly larger than the other vegetables. To ensure the carrots do not break down into mush, they have enough size that helps them hold their structure.
- Ham is an easy way to add a lot of flavor. If there is leftover ham from a big meal, this is a great way to use it. Otherwise, buy a ham steak at the grocery store for a quick and easy protein.
Here’s how to make this recipe.
- Cook the onion and celery. In a stockpot, melt the butter. Chop the onion and dice the celery and add to the stockpot once the butter has fully melted. Let these two ingredients sauté until they become softened. Then add in the minced garlic, salt, and black pepper, and cook for 30 seconds to one minute.
- Slice the potatoes and carrots. While the onion and celery are sautéing, slice the carrots and potatoes. For the carrots, cut them into half-circle pieces. For the potatoes, dice them into somewhat small pieces, roughly 1/2-inch in size.
- Add the vegetables and liquid. Once the garlic has been added and has cooked, add the chopped carrots and potatoes to the stockpot. Along with the vegetables, add in the sprig of fresh rosemary and fresh thyme along with the chicken stock. Stir everything together and let the mixture simmer for 10 minutes.
- Blend the potatoes. Once the soup has simmered, remove the herbs and discard them. Using a ladle, remove some of the potatoes to a separate bowl. With a countertop blender or immersion blender, blend together this separate amount of potatoes until smooth. Add the blended mixture back to the stockpot along with the cream and stir until combined.
- Add the ham and let simmer. Chop up the ham into bite-size cubes and add it to the soup and cheddar cheese. Stir these into the soup and let it simmer for 10 minutes until the ham has warmed through. Once warm, serve immediately with chopped parsley sprinkled on top (optional).
These pro tips will make this recipe a success.
- Cooking garlic slightly to reduce the raw flavor that’s implicit in garlic is very important. However, make sure not to cook the garlic for too long, as garlic can burn quickly. Cooking for about 30 seconds to one minute should be the correct length of time necessary.
- If you have any leftover mashed potatoes or ham from the holidays, this is the perfect recipe to use them up! Simply add the mashed potatoes as an additional thickening agent and slice up any leftover ham into bite-size pieces.
- Do not worry if some carrots or celery end up being blended with the potatoes. This may slightly affect the soup’s color but will not affect the resulting texture.
Frequently asked questions about this recipe.
Yes, but I prefer red-skinned potatoes for this recipe. This specific type of potato gets soft but can still maintain its structure.
Yes, simply switch out the chicken stock for vegetable stock and leave out the chopped ham.
Yes, freezing soup is a great way to extend the life of leftovers. As with any cooked vegetable, the carrots could become slightly soft during freezing but will still be good.
Watch how to make this recipe.
More soup recipes to try
Harvest Squash Soup
Dairy-Free Creamy Tomato Soup
Sausage Meatball Kale Soup
Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
Have I convinced you to make this recipe?
I hope you make this recipe and put some food on your table. Leave a comment and share a star rating so you let others know how much you love this recipe. This helps show others that this is a recipe they too can make, enjoy, and love!
Ham & Potato Chowder
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 medium onion diced
- 3 ribs celery diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¾ tsp black pepper
- 2 cups chopped carrots
- 1 ½ lb red potatoes diced
- 1 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 stem fresh rosemary
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ lb ham diced
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- In a 6-quart stockpot, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Once the butter is melted, add the celery and onion. Sauté the onion and celery until they are softened but not brown, 4-6 minutes. Once the mixture is softened, add the garlic, salt, and black pepper. Stir to combine and cook the garlic for 1 minute.2 tbsp unsalted butter, 1 medium onion, 3 ribs celery, 3 cloves garlic, 1 ½ tsp kosher salt, ¾ tsp black pepper
- Once the garlic is cooked, add the red potatoes, carrots, thyme, rosemary, and chicken stock. Stir, and bring the soup to a boil. Once the soup is boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and simmer the soup until the potatoes are soft, 35-45 minutes.2 cups chopped carrots, 1 ½ lb red potatoes, 1 sprigs fresh thyme, 1 stem fresh rosemary, 4 cups chicken stock
- Once the potatoes are softened, remove the rosemary and thyme. Then remove 1 ½ cups of the potatoes, vegetables, and stock, blend it until it is smooth, and return the liquid to the soup. Add the heavy cream, diced ham, and cheese. Stir and simmer for 10 minutes to allow the ham to heat and the cheese to melt. Once the soup has simmered, the potatoes will break down into the soup, and the blended portion will have thickened the soup slightly.1 cup heavy cream, ½ lb ham, 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Notes
- Cooking garlic slightly to reduce the raw flavor that’s implicit in garlic is very important. However, make sure not to cook the garlic for too long, as garlic can burn quickly. Cooking for about 30 seconds to one minute should be the correct length of time necessary.
- If you have any leftover mashed potatoes or ham from the holidays, this is the perfect recipe to use them up! Simply add the mashed potatoes as an additional thickening agent and slice up any leftover ham into bite-size pieces.
- Do not worry if some carrots or celery end up being blended with the potatoes. This may slightly affect the soup’s color but will not affect the resulting texture.
Saw this recipe this morning and since I had leftover ham and mashed potatoes from Christmas dinner I made it and it turned out amazing.
Love your recipes. Happy New Year.
Tried this recipe today with my leftover ham from Christmas dinner and it was delicious. So much flavor. A great way to use up my leftover ham when we were tired of sandwiches.
This soup was absolutely delicious! I thought that it would not make enough but it was perfect. Thank you.
Delicious! I didn’t have rosemary, but it was still good! I used some ham broth from the leftover roasted ham so I didn’t need as much chicken broth. This is definitely added to my recipe collection.
A very good soup!! Just recommended it to my dad who follows you.
I made this tonight and it was fantastic! I had to use russet potatoes because I didn’t have red potatoes but it was still so good. My new favorite potato soup recipe!!
Made this the other night and my husband said, “this is a keep”. Shared it with my mother-in-law since she wasn’t feeling well. She loved it too!
You are so gifted and talented what a blessing
This soup is delicious and very easy to make. Mine even looks just like your photo. I’m having leftovers of it for lunch today in a few minutes.
Thanks, Nancy
I made this soup with leftover Christmas dinner ham. Oh wow—so creamy and delicious!! Even better the next day. Thanks for a fabulous yet simple soup.
Ham & Potato Chowder – outstanding. Made a test batch – taking it on a quilt retreat this weekend.
The soup was delicious but too salty for my taste. Knowing what I know after making, I would wait until the end to see if additional salt is needed (at the beginning with the onions) . There is a lot of sodium in the ham, cheese and low sodium chicken broth. Definitely making again tho!!
This is fabulous! Used coconut milk(unsweetened) and dairy free cheese. Will make again!
I made it twice so far and doubled the recipe. So simple economical and delicious. I served it with thyme loaf of bread I had it in the freezer from Costco for months and forgot about it. Thank you Kalb for yet another tasty recipe
This soup was awesome! Great smokey flavor and hearty for a cold winter night! Thank you for making the video as well.
I will be making this soup often and share it with my friends and family!
OMG. This was so easy and sooooo good. Really the trifecta of soups – fast, easy and tastes amazing. Your format for printing recipes is good as well.
So delicious! I had no regular cheese so I subbed in what I had (garlic cheese curds lol!) And it was absolutely delicious. So easy to put together!
Made this soup for my kids and myself. It was incredibly delicious. Even the kids had seconds and they aren’t typically soup fans! Can’t wait to try to next recipe! Love watching the videos, learning new and exciting things to cook!
My wife made your ham and potato chowder and it is delicious. Sure hit the spot for our cold Wisconsin winter.
Wonderful chowder, I made today and used small gold potatoes which were perfect. I followed all your directions and will enjoy it for 2 more days. A truly delicious chowder and served with french bread, salad with pear and blue cheese dressing . Thank you for inspiring us to be more creative☺
What a wonderful chowder. I used gold potatoes with skins on, wonderfully delicious, followed every step and spent extra money on the two fresh spices you used as well. We had it for lunch and will have it two more days. I fixed a fresh salad with pear, blue cheese and raspberry dressing and french bread with butter and parmesan cheese. A delightful meal. Thank you so much.😍
Just made this soup tonight for the first time with leftover ham from Christmas that I had in my freezer. I followed the recipe and it turned out absolutely delicious! Lots of leftovers that my husband and I can’t wait to have! Thank you Kaleb for another great recipe! And for bringing such a positive energy and joy to everything you do!
This soup is delicious! Definitely a recipe that I’m adding to my rotation. I so enjoy everything you cook and all your gardening projects. Thank you Kaleb! You bring me joy!
Easy, delicious and kid friendly.
I made this today, added cabbage and a about 11/2 cups more broth and it is to die for. Have had two bowls already. Perfect for a south coast morning where unscheduled snow arrived.