Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors

Recipes

Ham & Leek Soup - Allergy-friendly, Dairy Free, Grain/Gluten Free, No Added Thickeners

March 1, 2020

Even though winter is winding down for some of you, we all still have chilly and dreary days standing between us and summer. So let's make some soup and stay in today.

Ham and Leek Soup

This is an amazing soup - it's refined, full of flavor, and a great option for many types of food allergies. Slow cooked ham shanks, tender vegetables, and a touch of heat from the optional chili oil. This is a great soup to serve at the beginning of a four course meal, or sip on as you lay on the couch in your sweats.

Ham & Leek Soup

A delicious, refined soup worthy to start off your four course dinner, but approachable enough to enjoy sipping from a mug on the couch.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time3 hours
Course: Soup
Keyword: dairy free, egg free, gluten free, ham, leeks, peanut free, pork, potatoes, soup, soy free
Servings: 10

Equipment

  • Pasta Pot
  • 6 qt Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven
  • Wüsthof 8in Hollow Edge Cook's Knife
  • Cutting Board
  • 9in Tongs
  • Immersion Blender

Ingredients

For the Broth

  • 4 ham shanks
  • 1 large carrot rough cut
  • 3 stalks celery rough cut
  • 7 cloves garlic smashed
  • 1 yellow onion quartered
  • handful parsley stems fresh
  • 2 sprigs thyme fresh
  • 2 sprigs oregano fresh
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 quarts chicken broth unsalted
  • 3 quarts water
  • TT salt

For the Chili Oil

  • 1/2 cup avocado oil
  • 1 tbsp red chili flake
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 5 cloves garlic smashed

For the Soup

  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 3-4 leeks light colored parts only, washed thoroughly and thinly sliced
  • 4 yukon gold potatoes peeled, diced
  • 1 large carrot finely diced
  • ham broth
  • 1 handful tarragon fresh, tied in a bundle
  • TT salt
  • TT black pepper

To Garnish

  • pulled ham from the ham shanks
  • chili oil
  • fresh chives chopped

Instructions

Make the Broth

  • Combine all the broth ingredients in a large pot, except the salt. Bring to a boil, reduce to medium low, cover and simmer for 2.5 hours. Remove the ham shanks and set aside, strain the liquid and discard all the other stuff. Season with salt to taste.
  • Pull the good bits of ham off of the ham shank and shred into bite size pieces. Set aside.

Make the Chili Oil

  • Combine the avocado oil, chili flakes and 3 of the smashed garlic cloves in a pan on medium heat. Bring to a sizzle, turn off heat and strain immediately (to keep the chili flake from burning and making your oil bitter).
  • Add the two remaining garlic cloves to the oil and allow it to cool to room temperature. Discard the garlic and put the chili oil into a bottle for storage.

Make the Soup

  • Heat a large cast iron dutch oven on medium heat. Add the olive oil, leeks, carrot and potatoes and sweat. Season with salt and pepper. Do not caramelize - if it's cooking too much, drop the temperature. You just want to get the vegetables started.
  • Add the ham broth and bring to a simmer. Cook for 15-20 minutes until the vegetables are soft. Turn off the heat, add the tarragon, stir and let sit for 10 minutes. Then discrd the tarragon. You just want a hint of the flavor from it.
  • Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until velvety and smooth. If heavy froth develops while blending, skim with a spoon and discard. Season the soup with salt to taste.

Plate and Serve

  • In a bowl add a couple ladles of the soup. Set some pulled ham in the center (about the amount you can hold with the tips of your thumb and three fingers), top with a pinch of fresh chives and drizzle with the chili oil. Serve warm and enjoy!

Ham and Leek Soup

— Hide Comments
+ ShowComments
What do you think?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. If ham shanks aren’t available locally, any suggestions for a semi-equivalent subsitute? Ham hocks or ham bones maybe?

    1. Ham hocks are perfect! You may want a couple extra to increase the amount of meat you end up with, but the flavor will be right on.

What We're

Loving

Right Now

What We're

Loving

Right Now

Looking for our favorite things? A place to shop our home room by room, or just catch up on what Julia's wearing / loving right now? Browse the CLJ shop
Shop All

Love Stories

Love Where You Live

In an industry that often feels designed to make you discontent, we want this to be place you come for inspiration, ideas, and encouragement to make the space you're already in feel like home.
Read All Posts
let's break this thing up

BROWSE BY CATEGORY

01

Portfolio

Befores, afters, mood boards, plans, failures, wins. We’ve done a lot of projects, and they’re all here.
read more
02

Projects

We have a long-standing relationship with DIY, and love rolling our sleeves up and making it happen.
read more
03

Design

Even when you don’t want to rip down a wall, you can make that space in your home better. Right now.
read more
hello world!

looking for inspiration?

Beautifully wrapped traditional presents stacked in a doorway
Gift Guides!

Holiday Gift Guides for Everyone in Your Life {2024}

Remember the thrill of unwrapping a gift that felt just right? Let's bring that magic back this holiday season!! Our curated gift guides for 2024 are filled with thoughtful picks that will make your loved ones feel special. That's what it's all about, after all. Whether you're shopping for your main guy, your clutch coworker, […]
Modern traditional kitchen with marble island and gold barstools
round up

The Best Cyber Monday Deals for Holiday Hosting

This post is sponsored by Wayfair. By the time Cyber Monday rolls around, I've usually grabbed the Christmas gifts I plan to buy for others and have moved on to home decor (my other favorite thing to shop for). My head is spinning with ideas on what my home needs for holiday parties on the […]
Sales

The Best Black Friday + Cyber Monday Deals in 2024

We collected all of the best deals of the holiday season—from tech to home decor—in one place for easy reference. Whether you want the lowest price on one of the best gifts of the year or you have a furniture item in your cart waiting for a discount, we’ve rounded up our recommendations. We're also […]
A white dish of peppermint brownies next to a red & white tea towel
Chris Cooks

Holiday Peppermint Brownies (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)

Baking Dish | Striped Dish Towel (similar) I have a few recipes that are perfect for the holidays, and this is one of them. I make a really delicious brownie that can be made gluten-free and dairy-free, but you won't even know it's missing those elements when the peppermint flavor hits. It's really simple, and […]
Learn With Us
Want to do what we do? Get the tools, mentorship, and training to be a Good Influencer professionally.
Learn More
Looking for Something?

SEARCH THE BLOG

We've been doing this since 2009 and we've posted a whopping 24145+ blog posts and counting. You might need a little help searching, huh?

Can We Send You Our Love Letter?

Another way for us to stay in touch! Joining our weekly newsletter gives you access to exclusive content, never-before-seen photos, your questions answered, and our favorite DIYs. Sign up below!

hello world!
Follow Along on Instagram
Welcome to our online community where we've posted home, DIY, style, renovations, and family since '09. Renovating our #cljmoderncottage in Idaho and headed for new adventures in Raleigh, NC. #cljfam #cljtransformations
© 2024 Chris Loves Julia, LLC
PRIVACY POLICYTERMS & CONDITIONSAFFILIATE DISCLAIMERSITE CREDITCOMMUNITY GUIDELINES