This creamy ham and wild rice soup is perfect for cold nights and hungry bellies. In this recipe, onions, carrots, celery, garlic and sage are sautéed in butter, flour is used as a thickener, and chicken broth, ham and a mix of white and wild rice make a warming, delicious soup.
A ham and rice soup is an excellent way to use up leftover ham after the holidays. Just dice it or give it a rough chop for a rustic feel add it to the soup and enjoy. Still have leftovers, try this ham fried rice that’s easy and tasty.
In keeping with the spirit of waste not want not, this soup is also a good way to use leftover rice, and so is this creamy chicken and rice casserole and this chicken and rice soup.
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Ingredients
- Butter – Regular salted butter works well, if you are sensitive to salt use unsalted.
- Produce – Onions, carrots, celery, garlic and sage create a delicious base for this soup. If you have some leftover sage you need to work through, try this sausage gravy recipe that is perfect for brunch.
- Flour – All-purpose flour is used to give the soup body.
- Broth – Use your favorite chicken broth. If you are sensitive to salt use low sodium broth, then adjust the salt at the end.
- Cooked Wild Rice Mix – We used a mix of wild and white rice. Use your favorite wild rice mix and cook it according to the package directions.
- Ham – As mentioned earlier, this is a great recipe for leftover ham. But if you do not have any, a ham steak from the grocery store works well too.
- Cream – We use half and half instead of heavy cream. It’s lighter but still creamy enough to give us the flavor we need.
Instructions
Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat.
When the butter has melted and starts to foam, add the onions, carrots and celery. Cook the vegetables gently for 5 minutes, stir frequently.
Add the garlic, sage and black pepper to the pot, cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
Add the flour, stirring constantly until well incorporated.
Cook the mixture for 2-3 minutes, stirring almost constantly to cook out the flour taste.
Slowly add in the chicken broth while stirring briskly with a whisk or wooden spoon until it is incorporated.
Raise the heat to medium-high and bring the broth to a simmer (it will take about 5 minutes). Then, add the ham and let the soup come back to a simmer.
Lower the heat to medium-low, half-cover the pot and continue simmering for 15 minutes, stir occasionally. Keep the soup at a simmer raise or lower the heat if necessary.
Add the rice, half cover and continue cooking for 5 minutes. Stir often to make sure the rice is not sticking to the bottom of the pot.
Take the pot off the heat and add the half and half, stir to combine.
Return the pot to low heat and warm through, do not let the soup come to a simmer or boil. Taste and add salt, if needed. As a reference we did not add extra to ours.
Recipe tips
- Hold the salt until the end when making this wild rice soup with ham. If you are sensitive to salt, use reduced sodium ingredients like low-sodium chicken broth, low-sodium ham and butter. Then, you can add at the end if needed.
- Start the rice first (unless you are using leftovers) because it usually takes a while to make.
- Sometimes the only wild rice mix we can find at the supermarket includes a seasoning packet. Do not add it in. Follow the instructions on the package but omit the seasoning pack.
- If you don’t have a wild rice mix but do have leftover white rice, then cook about a quarter cup of plain wild rice and add it along with the white rice to the soup.
- Have everything prepped and ready to go before you start the soup because things move quickly in the beginning. I like using glass nesting bowls to keep the prepped ingredients, so everything is at my fingertips when needed.
Storing and reheating
- Store the soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. To freeze the soup, store it in an airtight container. Remember to leave enough room to allow for expansion; an inch or two should do it. Freeze for 2-3 months.
- The soup will thicken as it cools and it will loosen as it heats up. If it is too thick add 1 tablespoon of chicken broth at a time while reheating until the desired consistency is reached.
- Gently, reheat the soup in a covered saucepan over medium-low to low heat until it reaches at least 165°F, stir occasionally – or reheat in the microwave. Avoid letting the soup come to a full boil as the cream could separate.
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Ham and Wild Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons Butter
- 1 Medium Onion finely diced
- 2 Medium Carrots diced (about ¾ – 1 cup diced)
- 1 Celery Rib diced (about ¼ cup diced)
- 3-4 Garlic Cloves minced
- 2 teaspoons Minced Sage about 4 leaves
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- ⅓ cup All Purpose Flour
- 6 cups Chicken Broth
- 12 ounces Ham cut into bite sized cubes
- 2 cups Cooked Wild Rice Mix we used a mix of wild and white rice prepared to package directions
- ½ cup Half and Half
- Salt if needed at the end
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. When the butter has melted and starts to foam, add the onions, carrots and celery.
- Cook the vegetables gently for 5 minutes until the onions become translucent and start to soften, stir frequently.
- Add the garlic, sage and black pepper to the pot, cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
- Add the flour, stirring constantly until well incorporated. Cook the mixture for 2-3 minutes, stirring almost constantly to cook out the flour taste.
- Slowly add in the chicken broth while stirring until it is incorporated. Use a whisk to make it easier to dissolve the flour. If you don’t have one, stir vigorously with a wooden spoon.
- Raise the heat to medium-high and bring the broth to a simmer (it will take about 5 minutes).
- Next, add the ham and let the soup come back to a simmer.
- Then, lower the heat to medium-low, half-cover the pot and continue simmering for 15 minutes, stir occasionally. Keep the soup at a simmer raise or lower the heat if necessary.
- Add the rice, half cover and continue cooking for 5 minutes. Stir often to make sure the rice is not sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Take the pot off the heat and add the half and half, stir to combine.
- Return the pot to low heat and warm through, do not let the soup come to a simmer or boil.
- Taste and add salt, if needed. As a reference we did not add extra to ours.
KNM
Have you tried this recipe with heavy cream instead of half and half?
Elizabeth
Hi. I have not, but heavy cream will work too.
Amy Peters
This soup was absolutely perfect! I didn’t have fresh sage, so I sprinked in some dried sage. The whole family went back for seconds. I added the recipe to our family favorites folder.
Elizabeth
Thank you Amy, so happy you all enjoyed it!