Ham One Day, Soup The Next

I recently cooked a big ham, and that means I had a lot of ham leftover. I am always creating other dishes from all of my leftovers, as you very well know. When I cook a ham, a quiche almost always follows, as it did this time too, (a ham, spinach and mushroom quiche) and then I usually have enough leftover to still make other things as well. usually a split pea soup is somewhere in the immediate future after a ham. I did make soup, but this time I did not make split pea soup. I made an African inspired pumpkin soup instead.

I loaded this delicious, healthy soup up with all kinds of good things; everything from ham, sausage, spinach, pumpkin, kidney beans to tomatoes, and then some. It was a hearty meal filled with all kinds of goodness. Really, I was just trying to use up as many of my vegetables as I could before we leave for Texas. 🙂

African Styled Ham, Sausage & Vegetable Soup

1 1/2-2 lbs cooked ham, cubed

3 hot Italian sausage links, cooked and sliced

3 carrots, diced

1 onion, diced

2-3 celery stalksd, diced

2-3 cups spinach, stems removed

2 cups diced tomatoes

2 Anaheim peppers, diced

1 small pumpkin, peeled and diced

1 1/2-2 TBSP garlic

6-8 cups ham or chicken broth

1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

olive oil

salt & fresh ground black pepper to taste

1 tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste

2 tsp Mekelesha Ethiopian spice, or other African spices

Get a large soup pot very hot, and par cook the sausage enough to where you can slice it, or about 5-7 minutes. Remove from the pot, let it cool enough to cut, then slice.

Add the carrots, onions, celery, peppers and red pepper flakes to the pot, adding more oil if needed and cook until they are al dente and the onions are translucent.

Add the garlic and pumpkin and continue to cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. I used delicata squash, which usually has the thin skin still attached. The skin is so thin that it softens nicely when cooked.

Add the sausage and continue to cook until the sausage is completely cooked. Add the ham, broth and seasonings. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, and continue to cook for about 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the tomatoes, kidney beans and spinach towards the end. Mix everything together thoroughly and cook just until the spinach is wilted. Serve immediately. If you like, you can top it with some soft cheese that melts quickly too.

This soup is very similar to a lot of African vegetable soups or pumpkin stew. It’s deliciously healthy, with a little bit of an added kick. Serve with some warm bread, and you have a hearty meal that’s perfect for when the temperatures start to drop. It will warm you up from the inside out.

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.