Ham and Cauliflower Soup
This Ham and Cauliflower Soup (Dairy Free) is a delicious way to use up a ham hock or ham bone. Creamy and full of flavor, this one is great for either a dinner party or a weekly meal plan. Give it a try!
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Servings: 8
Calories: 281kcal
Ingredients
To Make the Ham Stock:
- 1 Ham Hock About 2 pounds
- ½ Onion Cut into large chunks
- 2 Carrots Cut into large chunks
- 2 Celery Stalks Cut into large chunks
- 1 tablespoon Garlic Minced. About 6 cloves.
- 12 Whole Peppercorns
- 6 Allspice Berries
- 1 tablespoon Bouquet Garni See Recipe Notes for Making Your Own Bouquet Garni
- 3 Bay Leaves
- 12 cups Water or as much as can fit before you hit the max fill line if using a pressure cooker
To Make the Ham and Cauliflower Soup:
- 1.5 cups Carrots Chopped. 180 grams
- 1.5 cups Celery Chopped. 180 grams
- 1.5 cups Onions Chopped. 180 grams
- 2 teaspoons Kosher Salt
- 1 teaspoons Ground Black Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 teaspoon Celery Seed
- ½ teaspoon Ground Mustard
- 2 tablespoons Avocado Oil
- 36 ounces Cauliflower Rice 3 (12-ounce bags. If you can only find 10 or 10.5 ounce bags at your grocery store, that’s fine. Just use that.)
- 10 - 12 cups Ham Stock See recipe above
- 12 ounces Ham Shredded, chopped, or broken into bite-size pieces. Approximate amount from 1 Ham Hock.
Instructions
To Make the Ham Stock:
- Cut into very large chunks 1/2 Onion, 2 Carrots, and 2 Celery Stalks. Place them in the Pressure Cooker / Instant Pot. Add 1 Ham Hock, 1 tablespoon Garlic (Minced), 12 Whole Peppercorns, 6 Allspice Berries, 1 tablespoon Bouquet Garni, 3 Bay Leaves, and 12 cups Water (or as much as can fit before you hit the max fill line).1 Ham Hock, 1/2 Onion, 2 Carrots, 2 Celery Stalks, 1 tablespoon Garlic, 12 Whole Peppercorns, 6 Allspice Berries, 1 tablespoon Bouquet Garni, 3 Bay Leaves, 12 cups Water
- Cook on High Pressure for 55 minutes. Allow it to slow release. (See Recipe Notes for Alternative Cooking Methods)
- Cool until you can safely handle it. Using a fine mesh strainer / sieve, strain the Ham Stock into a large bowl. Either use it immediately or cool completely and refrigerate or freeze.
To Make the Ham and Cauliflower Soup:
- Chop 1.5 cups Carrots, 1.5 cups Celery, 1.5 cups Onions. Set them aside.1.5 cups Carrots, 1.5 cups Celery, 1.5 cups Onions
- Combine 2 teaspoons Kosher Salt, 1 teaspoons Ground Black Pepper, 1 teaspoon Onion Powder, 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder, 1 teaspoon Celery Seed, and ½ teaspoon Ground Mustard. Set them aside.2 teaspoons Kosher Salt, 1 teaspoons Ground Black Pepper, 1 teaspoon Onion Powder, 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder, 1 teaspoon Celery Seed, ½ teaspoon Ground Mustard
- If using an Instant Pot, add 2 tablespoons Avocado Oil to the pot and turn on the “Sauté” function. If using a Dutch oven or large pot on the stove, heat the Avocado Oil over medium high heat.2 tablespoons Avocado Oil
- Add the chopped carrots, celery, and onions. Sauté until softened. About 8 minutes. Add in the spices and seasonings that you just mixed and stir to combine.
- Add 36 ounces Cauliflower Rice and 10 - 12 cups Ham Stock. (Start with 10 cups and add more if you need more volume or just like a thinner soup.)36 ounces Cauliflower Rice, 10 - 12 cups Ham Stock
- Bring everything to a rolling boil. Reduce the heat, cover the pot, and simmer for 20 minutes. If using an Instant Pot, change the setting to “Meat / Stew” instead of “Sauté”.
- Once everything is cooked through, use an immersion blender to purée the soup. About 3 - 4 minutes. Taste and make any adjustments if needed and then blend again.
- Finally, add in 12 ounces Ham (or whatever came off of the bone) shredded or chopped. Serve warm.12 ounces Ham
Equipment
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Instant Pot See Recipe Notes for Alternative Cooking Method with Large Stock Pot.
- Fine Mesh Strainer or Sieve For straining the Ham Stock.
- Large Bowl For capturing the strained Ham Stock.
- Dutch Oven Only if you are not using an Instant Pot. If no Dutch Oven, then a large pot.
- Immersion Blender (a.k.a. Stick Blender)
- High Speed Blender Option if you don’t have an immersion blender
- Food Processor Option if you don’t have an immersion blender
Notes
- Making Your Own for Bouquet Garni
- If you can’t find this herb blend, you can use a combination of the following in equal parts (or you can change it up if you prefer): basil, dill weed, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, savory, tarragon, and thyme.
- If you don’t have or want to acquire all of those, feel free to use your favorites from the bunch.
- Alternative Cooking Method for Ham Stock
- If you do not have a pressure cooker / instant pot, you can also make the Ham Stock on the stove top.
- Place all ingredients for the Ham Stock in a large stock pot and fill with the same amount of water.
- Bring everything to a rolling boil.
- Reduce the heat to a simmer and allow it to cook for approximately 3 hours.
- Allow it to cool enough to handle, strain it, and either use it immediately or cool it completely and refrigerate or freeze it.
- If you do not have a pressure cooker / instant pot, you can also make the Ham Stock on the stove top.
- Alternative Blending Method for Soup without Immersion Blender
- If you do not have an immersion blender, you can use either a food processor or a high speed blender. You will most likely need to work in batches based on the volume of soup.
- In a food processor, process until it is mostly smooth and only a little chunkiness remains (or to whatever your preference is).
- In a high speed blender, I would run it on what is for me the “purée” setting. On my machine, this is speed #4 out of 5 and a step below “liquify”.
Your Own Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Ham and Cauliflower Soup
Amount per Serving
Calories
281
% Daily Value*
Fat
16
g
25
%
Saturated Fat
5
g
31
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
2
g
Monounsaturated Fat
8
g
Cholesterol
50
mg
17
%
Sodium
1242
mg
54
%
Potassium
862
mg
25
%
Carbohydrates
17
g
6
%
Fiber
6
g
25
%
Sugar
6
g
7
%
Protein
19
g
38
%
Vitamin A
6802
IU
136
%
Vitamin C
69
mg
84
%
Calcium
123
mg
12
%
Iron
3
mg
17
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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