Sandra Russet potatoes, cooked ham, butter, half & half, and sour cream make a five-ingredient soup with no broth and no aromatics. The potatoes cook in just enough water to cover before the ham and dairy go in. Prep takes 10 minutes and the recipe serves 10 to 12.
Paula Deen, author of Paula Deen’s Southern Cooking Bible, builds the soup’s dairy base with half & half and sour cream together rather than just one dairy. The sour cream adds a tang that cuts through the richness the half & half brings. Neither alone produces the same balance in the finished bowl.
The potatoes cook in just enough water to cover them, not in broth or stock. As they soften, the starch they release thickens the cooking water into a natural base. That starchy liquid becomes the soup itself, which is why the recipe needs no flour, no roux, and no thickener.
Paula Deen Ham and Potato Soup Recipe
Description
Paula Deen Ham and Potato Soup Recipe: russet potatoes, cooked ham, a stick of butter, half & half, and sour cream in one pot. 40 minutes, serves 10 to 12
Ingredients
Soup
Optional Toppings
Instructions
- Place the cubed potatoes into a large pot and add just enough water to cover them. Cover the pot and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Remove the lid and cook on medium heat for about 20 minutes until the potatoes are fork tender.
- Reduce the heat. Add the ham and butter. Season with salt and pepper to taste and stir to combine.
- Over low heat, stir in the half & half and sour cream. Mix gently until the dairy is fully incorporated.
- Keep the soup on low heat until ready to serve. Add toppings of your choice at the table.
FAQs
Why does the recipe specifically warn against using country ham?
Country ham has a significantly higher salt content than regular cooked ham, and the source explicitly flags it as a substitute to avoid. Using it would make the soup far too salty, particularly once the butter and half & half concentrate the base. Stick with a regular thick-cut cooked ham; leftover holiday ham without its glaze works well at the same quantity.
Can the potatoes be mashed for a smoother texture?
Mashing about a third of the potatoes directly in the pot with a fork or potato masher thickens the soup further while keeping some chunks for texture. A full mash produces a smooth, loaded-baked-potato-style result rather than a chunky one. Both versions use the same dairy ratios — the choice depends entirely on preferred texture.
How does this soup store and does it freeze well?
The soup keeps in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, though the dairy base thickens considerably as it cools. Stir in a splash of water or milk when reheating on the stove to loosen the consistency back to a soup. For freezing, cool completely first, transfer to airtight containers, and freeze for up to 3 months; thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
What other Paula Deen soup uses a creamy Southern dairy base in the same one-pot style?
Corn chowder shares the same Southern dairy-forward approach but builds around sweet corn kernels rather than potatoes. A Paula Deen corn chowder on this site uses a full two sticks of butter and a cream base in the same single-pot format. Together the two give a pair of Southern comfort soups built on rich dairy foundations in different directions.
What Paula Deen soup takes the flavor in a completely different direction?
Lasagna soup uses Italian sausage, ground beef, and pasta in a tomato broth at the opposite end of the flavor spectrum from a creamy potato base. A Paula Deen lasagna soup on this site layers those savory Italian flavors into a bowl ready in about 50 minutes. The two soups show the full range of Paula Deen’s one-pot comfort food from creamy Southern to bold Italian.
