Leftover Ham Soup with Kale, Potatoes, and White Beans
This recipe makes a huge pot of soup, which is perfect for easy lunches all week because it reheats quite nicely (although the kale will get a little soggier as time goes on).
After carving your ham, place the meaty leftover ham bone in the bottom of your slow cooker. Add enough water to cover, plus all other broth ingredients.
Simmer on low overnight (8-10 hours), then strain the broth into a large bowl.
Cover and refrigerate ham broth until ready to use. Right before making the soup, remove the broth from the fridge and skim off the layer of fat that will have formed on top -- this will help make your soup much less greasy.
For the soup
Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot or Dutch oven until shimmering. (I'm not kidding about the large -- this recipe pretty much filled my entire 7 quart Dutch oven.) Add onion and celery and saute over medium heat for two minutes.
Stir in garlic, potatoes, and crushed red pepper and continue to saute for another five minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
Stir in broth, beans, ham, tomatoes, pepper, smoked paprika, parsley, basil, and oregano and bring to a boil. Skim if necessary, stir, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover pot, and simmer covered for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
Stir in kale and simmer uncovered for another 5 minutes. (If you prefer your kale more tender or less visible, chop more finely and simmer a little longer...)
Serve soup topped with shredded or grated Parmesan (optional).
Notes
Don't add salt, even if you usually do when making soup -- this soup is plenty salty already from the ham.