Leftover Ham and Macaroni Soup

This Leftover Ham and Macaroni Soup is a delicious, economical, and healthy way to use up ham leftovers. Made with pantry ingredients like kidney beans, macaroni, and other ingredients you'd have on hand, it's quick and easy to make.

Ham Macaroni soup is popular after big holiday dinners such as Easter, Christmas and Thanksgiving, but perfect for any time you have leftover ham! This recipe was inspired by my Healthy Minestrone soup and pairs well with this Onion and Olive Bread Machine Recipe (dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinegar)!

🥘Ingredient Notes

You'll need the following ingredients for this leftover ham soup recipe:

• Leftover ham. Ham is the star of the show! It works well in soups because it adds a rich, smokey flavor, as well as protein. *You can even use defrosted previously frozen ham. I did with this recipe and you'd never know it!
• Beef broth. Beef broth is the best choice for this recipe because it has a bolder, heartier, and richer flavor than chicken broth and works well with the other flavors in this soup.
• Canned kidney beans. Add fiber and texture to the soup.
• Canned diced tomatoes (photo missing). Canned tomatoes are convenient and healthy and add texture.
• Brown sugar. Balances and neutralizes the sour/acidic taste of the tomatoes and balsamic vinegar
• Italian seasoning. It's a blend of seasonings such as oregano, rosemary, basil, and more so it adds a big punch of flavor!
• Balsamic vinegar. It's both tangy and sweet so it's ideal for balancing the flavors in soups. Kirkland balsamic vinegar (from Costco) is the best tasting!
• Parmesan cheese. The parmesan cheese adds depth of flavor.
• Uncooked elbow macaroni. The macaroni tastes best if it can simmer in the flavors of the soup, as opposed to boiling it separately. Plus why dirty another pot if you don't need to?! I use elbow macaroni because I always have it on hand.

See recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantities.

📖Variations & Substitutions

• Ham- you can use any type of cooked leftover ham you prefer. I even use defrosted frozen ham.
• Onion- you could use yellow or red onion instead of white onion.
• Elbow Macaroni - you could use another type of pasta, such as fusilli or penne pasta. Or you can use whole wheat macaroni or smart pasta (see top tip) .
• Spicy - add chili pepper flakes while cooking or add sriracha sauce.
• Parsley - you can garnish with dried parsley if you don't have fresh!

🌡️Storage

Wait for the soup to cool completely before refrigerating it. If you refrigerate soup while it is still hot direct temperature changes will cause oxidation and acidification of the soup and can make it taste sour.

Store for up to 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge.

You can freeze this soup for up to 3 months in a sealed container. However, the noodles tend to get a bit mushy when the soup is reheated. Therefore, if you know you're making it in advance and going to freeze it, it's best to either undercook the macaroni a little or add it (step 3 ) just prior to serving. *You can also cook the macaroni separately. Personally, I'm not a big fan of this because it dirties another pot that I have to wash!

👪 Serving Size

This recipe makes 8 servings @ about 2 cups each. However, you can half, double or triple the recipe by clicking on the serving number and selecting the number of servings you'd like. The ingredient quantities will automatically adjust.

🔢WW Points

This Macaroni Ham Soup recipe is Weight Watchers friendly @ 4 WW points per 2 cup serving, using light Parmesan cheese, regular elbow macaroni and leftover cooked lean ham.

This will also depend on the type of ham you use (check it with your app to be sure) You can bring down the points even further (to 3 ww points) by using a fat-free parmesan cheese and whole wheat macaroni.

❔ Frequently Asked Questions