Crock Pot Parsnip Ham Chowder {Paleo}

Ham chowder with parsnips and sweet potatoes, made in a slow cooker! This paleo ham chowder is a wonderful way to use leftover holiday ham! Creamy, comforting, healthy, and flavorful! An easy, dairy free ham soup crock pot 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 Years resolutions.  I’m also gonna help you feel super duper about eating this ham chowder because it’s super duper nourishing. Mmmm k?

That being said, can we take a minute to gush over all things crock pot, 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 Crock Pot Parsnip Potato Ham Chowder, all you need are a few scrappy (yet snappy) tasty ingredients. I promise, those are key to flavor!

• 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 ham chowder, ya’ll!

If you’re looking for a pork free chowder, check out Fearless Dinning Easy Homemade Oyster Chowder.

Nutrition Per Bowl using Almond Milk

Check it out! There’s a mega use of leftovers in the ham chowder crock pot recipe! You know, so you can keep feeding that family; paleo, gluten free, dairy free for all!

I actually shared half of this ham chowder 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!

Favorite way to use leftover ham? Do share!

Cheers!