Paleo Smoky Ham Chowder

I was trying to use up a ham shank and honor my New Year's resolution to eat low-carb. The result is a yummy and hearty winter soup, chock-full of rich, smoky flavor and chunks of veggies and ham. You won't even miss the carbs!

• Preparation Time: 30 mins
• Cooking Time: 1 hr 40 mins
• Total Time: 2 hr 10 mins
• Calories: 334 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ cup chopped celery
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon liquid smoke
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley, or to taste
• ¾ cup diced yellow onion
• 1 (1 1/2) pound meaty ham shank
• 3 cups diced sweet potato, or more to taste, divided
• 1 head cauliflower, chopped, divided

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot. Add onion and celery; saute until onion begins to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer onion mixture to a bowl.

Step 2

Add broth and ham shank to the same pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until ham is tender and falling off the bone, about 1 hour. Transfer ham and bone to a plate. Chop ham when cool enough to handle. Discard bone.

Step 3

Add onion mixture to the broth, along with 1/2 of the sweet potato, 1/2 of the cauliflower, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and cook until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, discard bay leaf, and use emulsion blender to blend until smooth.

Step 4

Add remaining potatoes and cauliflower and bring to a simmer. Cook until vegetables are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Add ham, liquid smoke, salt, and pepper. Ladle into bowls and garnish with parsley.