Now that you have thoroughly enjoyed your Easter weekend and filled your bellies to the brim, whatcha gunna do with all that leftover ham? I mean, besides the typical ham and cheese sandwich? That’ll get old after the second day. I advocate this deliciously simple ham, spinach, and cannellini bean soup! I like it because I can add fresh veggies, I use up all my leftovers, and I have plenty for my family’s dinner and lunch the next day. With the bold seasonings and robust flavors, my kids had no problem slurping up the handfuls of vegetables I threw in.
Pull out the Dutch oven and drizzle in 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter. Throw in 4 large diced carrots and a small diced onion. Sprinkle in a tablespoon of Creole seasoning in order to add some flavor. Saute these two vegetables for about 5 to 7 minutes or until they are soft.
Add in 46 oz of reduced sodium chicken broth. I think it is important to use the reduced sodium version because with regular broth I find the soup too salty. Pour in a can of undrained cannellini beans (or Great Northern Beans) and 2 cups of diced ham. Don’t worry if you don’t have enough ham; just use whatever you have so it gets used up! Throw in a few bay leaves to soak in a little more flavor. Bring this mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat and let it simmer for 5 minutes.
Remove the bay leaves and add in 5 oz of spinach. I like to remove the stems of the spinach so that they don’t get stuck in my teeth.
As soon as the spinach has wilted, the soup is ready to serve! Mmmm, mmmm, mmmm, look at all that chunky goodness! Ham and spinach soup is so comforting and yummy. I don’t usually eat a lot of soup in the hotter months, but I think I have a few more days in the 70s before the heat turns up. Side note, I am writing this with sunburnt shoulders…in shorts…with the air conditioner on. Am I too late? I hope not. As they say around these parts, “if you don’t like the weather in Knoxville, just wait a minute!”
This ham, spinach, and cannellini bean soup fed my family for the evening and I had plenty of leftovers for lunch the next day. I love recipes that feed us multiple times! One less thing for me to worry about as one kid dumps an entire bottle of dish soap down the drain, another kid tries to “clean” the couch with wood polish, and the dog mangles and shreds the styrofoam sprinkle system for the garden my husband built last night. Sigh.
Yes. All those things happened. This is my crazy life! See why I need this comforting soup? I also need 13 Minute Almond Joy Cookies for my sweet tooth after these kinds of days. I hope your day is less chaotic than mine. Happy cooking y’all!
Ham, Spinach, & Cannellini Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 4 large diced carrots
- 1 small diced onion
- 1 Tbsp Creole seasoning
- 46 oz reduced sodium chicken broth
- 1 15 oz can cannellini beans undrained
- 2 cups diced ham
- 3 bay leaves
- 5 oz spinach de-stemmed
Instructions
- Heat oil and butter over medium/high heat. Add carrots, onion, and Creole seasoning.
- Saute 5-7 minutes or until soft.
- Add chicken broth, beans, ham, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and let simmer 5 minutes.
- Remove bay leaves and add spinach.
- Once spinach has wilted, soup is ready to serve.
This was fantastic!!! Didn’t have creole so we used Trader Joe’s 21 seasoning salute and it was so delicious. Will definitely make again.
Excellent – Around the table: “Let’s make this again!”
Made the Creole seasoning following a popular Googled recipe.
I love that Creole seasoning too!
OMG I’m totally making this. SO yummy.
I know, right? It’s one of those heartwarming soups!