Smoky ham, butter bean and savoy cabbage soup
50 min · 26 g protein · 285 cals / serving
What to do with the end of the Christmas ham: diced ham fried with smoked paprika, then simmered with big, soft butter beans, carrot, thyme and bay in a golden broth, with ribbons of sweet savoy cabbage stirred through at the end. A spoon of wholegrain mustard and a squeeze of lemon sharpen it, and plenty of parsley finishes it.
Ingredients
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 small carrots, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 10 oz ham, leftover cooked ham, fat trimmed, diced
- 1 1/2 tsp paprika, smoked
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 2 leaves bay leaf
- 2 cans (15 oz each) canned butter beans, butter beans (large lima beans), drained and rinsed
- 4 2/3 cups chicken broth, low-sodium, or ham stock
- 1/4 head savoy cabbage, cored and shredded into ribbons
- 2 tsp wholegrain mustard
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- a small handful fresh parsley, chopped
Steps
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat and cook the onion, carrot and celery for 8 minutes, stirring now and then, until softened. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
- Add the ham, smoked paprika and thyme and fry for 2–3 minutes, stirring, until the ham edges catch a little colour and the paprika smells toasty. Do not let the paprika burn.
- Add the bay leaves, butter beans and broth. Bring to the boil, then simmer gently with the lid ajar for 15 minutes, until the beans are very soft and a few have started to break up into the broth.
- Stir in the cabbage and simmer for another 6–8 minutes, until it is tender but still bright green.
- Take out the bay leaves. Stir in the mustard, lemon juice and pepper and taste before adding any salt: ham and broth usually bring plenty. Ladle into bowls and scatter with the parsley.
Good to know
I have a ham bone. Should I use it?
Yes, it is the best stock there is for this soup. Cover the bone with 1.5 litres of water, add an onion and a bay leaf and simmer for 1–2 hours, then use the strained stock in place of the broth and pick any meat off the bone into the pot.
Can I use dried butter beans?
Yes: soak 1 cup dried butter beans overnight and simmer them in the broth for about an hour, until creamy, before adding the ham and cabbage. Add water as they drink.
Kale instead of cabbage?
Yes: use the same weight of kale, stems removed, and give it 2–3 minutes longer. The soup is a little earthier, at about the same score.
Alternatives
Can't fill you up alone — pair it with protein.
Per
- Calories
- 48
- Protein
- (38%)
- 4 g
- Fat
- (21%)
- 1 g
- Carbohydrates
- (41%)
- 6 g
- of which sugar
- 1 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sodium
- 371 mg
More meals
Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. General guidance, not medical advice. Talk to your prescriber. How
As written, 1142 kcal goes into the pot and 2554 g of ingredients comes out as about 2375 g of food: 48 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.