PaleoThis slow cooker vegetable soup with ham is one of our favorite gluten free soups and a wonderful way to use up leftover holiday ham! Hearty ham chowder with parsnips and sweet potatoes, made easily in a slow cooker. Creamy, comforting, healthy, and flavorful! An easy, dairy free, paleo, gluten free slow cooker soup recipe for the whole family. You’ll love it! Whole 30 option.
Merry post Christmas ya’ll!! How was it? Mellow? Lovely? All of the above? I hope so! We spent the weekend with family, trying to relax before all the Cotter Cross Country Move! Haha. “Trying” to, I say. Speaking of moving and post Christmas, I have to be honest ….. I will never really understand the whole point of December 26th, boxing day. But I am SOOO okay with that.
As long as we have leftovers to munch on, I’ll call it whatever it needs to be called. Yes, BOXING all the things and using up all the holiday ham (Hence the Potato Ham Chowder recipe) before we move. Ha, so this day totally suits us. But I digress..back the WHOLE reason I’m posting on a kinda sorta holiday.
You see, in lieu of all the holiday shenanigans, I wanted to pop in to say HI! Here’s a leftover ham recipe. And I’m gonna make it Paleo, so you can ease your way into New Year resolutions. I’m also gonna help you feel super duper about eating this ham and vegetable soup because it’s super duper nourishing. Mmmm k?
That being said, can we take a minute to gush over all things slow cooker, and leftovers? Turkey, ham, veggies, whatever you got! Just throw it in the pot for a TOTAL LIFESAVER meal! Especially during this season, any season really!
For this gluten free soup recipe, all you need are a few scrappy (yet snappy) tasty ingredients. I promise, these are key to the flavor!
Ingredients in Slow Cooker Vegetable Soup with Ham
- ham
- sweet potatoes
- parsnips
- onions
- fresh basil
- garlic
- almond milk (or coconut milk)
- coconut aminos
- potato starch (or tapioca starch)
- chicken broth or stock
- Sweet potatoes –> CHECK. Sweet potatoes are add more sweetness, a starchy vegetable, and loaded with Vitamin A. So we can all have good vision for driving home from the holidays.
- Parsnips –> CHECK. They sweet root vegetables to replace grains in soup. Kinda like I did with the cauliflower curry. But did you know that parsnips are actually loaded with folate, potassium, manganese, and fiber. Dude! Another SUPERFOOD and anti-inflammatory food to add to the list. Right? Yup. Also, you should so try parsnip mash in a crock pot next. It’s comfort food made healthy and magical!
- Coconut Milk or Almond Milk —> CHECK. So we can get in out calcium without dairy but still enjoy that creamy taste. LACTOSE FREE! Ahhh, a nice break for the stomach I’m sure. Although, you can totally use cream here if you are not sensitive to dairy or paleo. In fact, it’s lower in lactose. COOLIO!
- Onions, basil, and garlic–> CHECK! These veggies and herbs are actually prebiotics. Ohhh lala. Which means their non-digestible fiber will naturally ferment in the gut AND THEN HELP Feed that gut flora! A good feed for good bacteria. HALLELUJAH! Plus basil is a power herb with 98% vitamin K. Vitamin K is great for bone health. So you see, you don’t even need dairy to get that bone health perk. Ahhh amazing!
- And last but not least, that holiday Ham! Honey Baked, Roasted, Maple Glazed, any kind of REAL Ham —-> CHECK.
To make this chowder recipe WHOLE30 friendly, use coconut aminos instead of Tamari. Also make sure to use a naturally smoked ham without additives or sugar. Almond milk and coconut milk without additives and unsweetened.
Enjoy the slow cooker vegetable soup with ham, ya’ll!
If you’re looking for a pork free chowder, check out Fearless Dinning Easy Homemade Oyster Chowder.
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Ham and Vegetable Soup (Gluten Free Crock Pot Recipe)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Total Time: 3 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 5 servings 1x
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Pin RecipeDescription
A ham chowder with parsnips and sweet potatoes! This crock pot paleo ham and vegetable soup is a wonderful way to use up your leftover holiday ham! This is a Paleo and Gluten Free Crock Pot recipe.
Ingredients
- 4 parsnips, sliced and tops cut off
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled and sliced
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves or 1 to 1.5 tsp minced
- 4 basil leaves (stems removed)
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups to 2 cups chicken broth (the less broth the thicker)
- 8 ounces diced smoked or honey ham (for Whole 30 omit honey. Leftover holiday ham works great)
- 10 ounces almond milk or coconut milk
- 2 tbsp potato starch or tapioca starch for thickening
- 2 tbsp coconut aminos or gluten free soy sauce/tamari (if whole 30 or paleo, use a coconut aminos)
- extra salt and pepper, to taste
- Extra herbs, olive, oil, coconut cream, and optional parmesan for topping/garnish.
Instructions
- Make sure your veggies (parsnips, potato, and onion) are peeled and sliced or chopped.
- Place veggies in crock pot with broth, basil, garlic, olive oil, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper.
- Cover and place on high for 2 hours or until vegetables are tender.
- After 2 hours, stir in your almond or coconut milk. Blend with an immersion blender until all is pureed and creamy. (If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can transfer the soup to a heat proof blender and puree in batches, then transfer back to the slow cooker).
- Add in the rest of your ingredients. Diced leftover Ham, potato starch, tamari/soy sauce, extra salt/pepper to taste, and any other seasoning of choice. Mix again.
- Place on low for another hour. When creamy and fragrant, it’s ready to serve.
- Serve into bowls and drizzle a little olive oil, cream/milk, pepper, herbs, and optional parmesan over each bowl.
Notes
- If you are not paleo, feel free to use real cream or half and half.
- This soup will freeze well.
- Any leftover ham will work well with this soup, but I think smoked or maple ham is delish.
- If you don’t have parsnips, carrots or cauliflower will work but will cook faster.
- Nutrition shown is per bowl, made with almond milk.
- Category: main
- Method: slow cooker
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 247
- Sugar: 8g
- Fat: 7.7g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Carbohydrates: 35.3g
- Fiber: 8.2g
- Protein: 10.7g
- Cholesterol: 25.9mg
Keywords: ham and vegetable soup, gluten free crock pot recipe, paleo ham chowder, gluten free soup recipe
Check it out! There’s a mega use of leftovers in the slow cooker vegetable soup recipe! You know, so you can keep feeding that family; paleo, gluten free, dairy free for all!
I actually shared half of this ham and vegetable soup with my Honey Baked Ham loving family. Yes, they love ham. And secretly, I like playing the “but it’s healthy and PALEO” card on them, since many of them are not paleo. Mawhaha! The funny thing is, once I said it’s paleo, they grabbed tortilla chips and started scooping up the chowder with the chips. Which made it no longer paleo. LOL! Either way, it was THOROUGHLY enjoyed!
See you at the end of the week for a little 2016 wrap up.
p.s.
Can you come help us fill all the boxes?!!! Pretty please? Sadly, this is my last use of my crock pot for probably 2 weeks, along with all my other kitchen tools that will be in transition to the new house. GASP!
Do you have a favorite way to use leftover ham? Do share!
Cheers!
Hi, I’m Lindsay! Gluten Free Nutrition Specialist, food photographer and author of 
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What an interesting idea! I love it. I bet your are more than waist deep in boxes right now…. GOOD LUCK
Thank you! wanna come help? LOL!
Oh I’m sure the move is going to be just fine. This soup looks so comforting. I would eat this for breakfast!
haha i totally ate it for breakfast. 😉
p.s the move is going to be in the middle of cold front. That’s my only concern and a blizzard. LOL!
Healthy, happy, and love-filled New Year to you and your husband. Keep everything in perspective during the move. You are to smart to let something like that be anything but positive. Where you moving to??
thank you! we are moving to salt lake city. Just outside it about 30 minutes.
Good luck with the packing and moving, lady! Christmastime is crazy enough, so I can’t imagine tossing a cross-country move on top of it, but you’re basically superwoman so I’m sure everything will be totally fine 🙂
Oh girl, i am super behind woman. Haha.
Wow Lindsay; you even put up a recipe while moving. You’re pretty amazing! 🙂 I would love to come help you unpack, but I’m a little far away.
haha well I have a lot of content I tried to get done beforehand. Phew!
Oy… boxing day. I still have PTSD from moving. BUT… because I love you… I’d come help you. If I could have some of this soup. LOL! Good luck, brother. Don’t forget to leave the wine out. 😉
i’m gonna stock up at costco for wine before we move. Load up that truck! haha. not kidding
We all love split pea soup and this is a fun twist on that …. and we were sent home with leftover ham! Best of luck with the cross country move… we did it twice, and I don’t envy you! But I know you’re super organized and will get it all together.
LOL! I am so not organized this time. I am avoiding all the things. Pray for me!
Looks pretty dang good!! Good luck Lindsay!!!! Wishing you safe travels & a smooth move!!! xoxoxo
Thank you! So needed. LOL!
I am now wishing we had leftover ham to make this!
Good luck with all of the moving, sweet friend! What an exciting season you have ahead of you! <3
we are one step closer to New Zealand! So maybe if we move in a few years there, we can jump the ditch and visit you! haha
I’ve moved 48 times in 43 years; I feel your pain!
This recipe sounds wonderful, especially since I am a huge fan of parsnips. I’d have to use turkey in it, though, since in my faith we don’t eat pork or shellfish (and I’ve always detested both, anyhow). I do believe this recipe is going to be on my list this week–and since I live alone, so cook only for me, I can do what I want to it, and nobody can complain 🙂
OMG you are brave! 48 times?? Impressive!! I hope you get to stay put for this year. haha!
Yes, turkey or beef or even tempeh would be great! let me know if you try it!
YUM!!
Ohhhh yum! Looks incredible!
Thanks Lisa!
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wow, this dish looks delicious, i will try it for my family to eat, thank you for sharing the way.
OMGEEEEEE!!! I just made this, and it is so delicious that I burnt my tongue, when “tasting” it turned into, eating it in spoonfuls right from the crockpot! LOL My question is this: My son is allergic to almonds so I used coconut milk (canned from Thai kitchen). Is that the right kind of coconut milk, or do you mean “coconut milk beverage,” like the one SoDelicious makes? Thank you! It’s delicious, either way! ~ Sarah
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Oh yay! So glad you enjoyed it Sarah! I’ve actually used both types of coconut cream. Whatever I had on hand really, ya know? Both work great!