Vegetable Soup with Ham and Barley

I rarely purchase a ham so I never have a leftover ham bone for soup.  One of my greatest finds is Honey Baked Ham sells ham bones for soup.  Yes, large ham bones and they have plenty of meat left on them, perfect for soup.  This time the price was $7.26 – I think this is a bargain for a ham bone with the great Honey Baked favor and lots of meat.  During this cold snap, in my opinion there is nothing better than a bowl of soup.  This time I added vegetables and barley and it sure is a winning combination.  Next time you are looking for a soup recipe, stop by your local Honey Baked Ham store and pick up one of their ham bones, absolutely the perfect base for this delicious soup.

Vegetable Soup with Ham and Barley

Ingredients

  • 1 ham bone
  • 10 cups chicken broth
  • 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 1 russet potato, peeled and diced
  • 1 cup chopped celery
  • 1 cup diced carrots
  • 3/4 cup barley
  • 1 cup fresh green beans
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. In a large dutch oven place the ham bone and cover with the chicken broth, it will probably not be totally immersed. Stir in the chopped onion and undrained can of tomatoes.  Cover, bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer for one hour.  Remove the bone and remove all of the meat from the bone.  Return the meat to the broth.  Add the potatoes, celery and carrots.  Simmer for 45 - 60 minutes over a very low flame.  Bring to a boil, add the barley and green beans and cook for an additional 15 - 20  minutes, or until the barley is tender.  Remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes.  Serve.