This easy soup comes together in about 30 minutes! It is a huge crowd pleaser, especially for kids. Who doesn’t love the ham and cheese combo? It would be perfect to serve on Halloween or any busy weeknight!
We made it! We are in our new house! And nobody’s in the hospital as a result of moving my piano! It’s a miracle.
So far we’ve only had one flood, which is better than two floods. Look, here I am, being positive! We bought the washer and dryer from our rental house, because we knew they worked and they were cheap. But in our rental, the washer and dryer lived outside in a detached garage. And apparently I never noticed that it leaks occasionally. WHO DOESN’T NOTICE THAT?
Well I noticed yesterday when it flooded our laundry room and soaked the edge of our just-shampooed-earlier-that-day-carpet. (Seriously. The carpet guy came in the morning and it was still damp when dirty water from the washing machine seeps into it.) Welcome to home ownership, where everything breaks and you have to pay for it yourself!
Here’s my favorite part. The laundry flooded when Eric was at work, of course. So he comes home and starts poking around, and watches it go through TWO CYCLES with no leaking. You know what this means right? The washing machine will only leak when I am at home alone, and eventually I will start to look like a crazy person who can’t do a load of laundry without setting up a chair and popcorn just to babysit it.
Please tell me something broke in your house immediately after you bought it?? This is normal right??
How bout this soup though? I love ham and cheese. I could probably eat a ham and cheese sandwich every day of my life and be happy. But now I have the soup version so I will make this instead. It’s tastes exactly like Mac and Cheese, only in soup form, plus chunks of smokey ham. What’s not to love?
Do you guys make a ham at Thanksgiving? How bout Christmas? I know that seems like a long ways off, but there are never enough leftover ham recipes in my opinion. Especially since I never wait for after the holidays to make them; I’m a firm believer in the 5-dollar ham steak.
The best part about this recipe? It comes together super fast. We are talking 30 minutes. And thank goodness because who has time for all this cooking when I have washing machines to babysit.
Do you guys give up? Or are you thirsty for more?
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Ham Mac and Cheese Soup
Ingredients
- 3 cups macaroni noodles, dry
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard, more to taste
- 28 ounces chicken broth, 3 and 1/2 cups *
- 3 cups half and half
- 1 pound cheddar cheese, about 5 cups, shredded
- 2 cups ham, diced, use leftovers, or buy a ham steak
- salt and pepper , to taste
Instructions
- In a medium pot, cook the macaroni according to package directions. Drain as soon as they are al dente. Add a little oil and stir so they don't stick if you are not ready to add them to the soup right away.
- Meanwhile, in a large soup pot melt the butter over medium heat.
- When it is hot, add the flour and mustard. Use a whisk stir it up.
- Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and half and half. Turn the heat up to medium-high, and stir constantly until the mixture comes to a low boil, about 5 minutes.
- Immediately reduce the heat to low and stir in the shredded cheese.
- Stir in the macaroni and ham. Keep the burner on low until it is as warm as you like.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
- This is great served with a big salad and bread. If you want some veggies in your soup, frozen peas make the perfect addition. Just add them with the macaroni and heat on low until thawed.
Notes
Nutrition
Other soups to get your cozy on:
Easy Cheddar Cauliflower Soup << just made this again the other day. It’s probably one of my own personal most-made recipes on my site. Love this stuff.
Cheeseburger Soup << I make no apologies for the pickles in this soup. Just try it.
You guys want to see one of my first posts?? Scary photo alert! But this (super easy) Ham and Potato Soup is still just as good nearly 4 years later…plus it’s fun to read about what a paranoid new mom I was since these days I am practically negligent.
And in case you missed it last week…the famous Cowboy Bean Soup!
Here are some other ham happy soups:
Leftover Hambone Soup from Damn Delicious
Ham Cheddar Chowder from My Gluten Free Kitchen
Cauliflower Soup with Ham and Cheese from Taste and Tell << this sounds like my 2 favorite soups combined!!
Made this one time when the 7 year old grandson was visiting. He asks for it every visit! He told me to give the recipe to his mother, but he still asks me to make it. Thing is, everyone likes it. thanks for the great recipe!
This is a great recipe that I have made quite a few times, only wish you had the nutritional value listed.
Great news Theresa, it’s coming soon! I will have nutrition facts on the blog within just a couple months, we are in the process of getting them up. I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for reviewing!
Delicious! Any idea if it can be frozen?
Hi Linda! This soup doesn’t do well frozen. The pasta becomes mushy and the roux (the flour/butter mixture) can separate, leaving you with a gritty texture. Fortunately it’s quick to make, so you can do up a fresh batch when you need one. Enjoy!
Could you possibly put a calorie count on your recipes?
Hi Sharon! I don’t have that feature on my blog yet but hopefully someday I will!
Your site has provided me comfort during the lock-down in PA. I have made several of your dishes and believe me, as a novice, if I can follow these directions anyone can. Keep up the good work.
That makes me so happy to hear Bill! Thank you for sharing! It’s good to know that the instructions are understandable for beginners, that’s what I’m going for :) Have a great week!
MADE this soup. I cut it in half because it is just my husband and me. HAS A great flavor, but after sitting for a while it thickened up like real Mac And cheese. WE really enjoyed it
Yes, as with any noodle soup, the longer it sits, the noodles absorb more liquid. I’m so glad you liked it!
I just started cooking and your mini pot pies and ham mac and cheese soup are both out of this world. Simple and fun!
So happy to hear that Douglas! Simple is best sometimes! Thanks so much for commenting :)
I made this recipe yesterday and we loved it and it was so easy to make.
This will be one of my go to recipe’s. Thanks for sharing.
So happy to hear that Brenda! This is one of my go-to last minute dinners, I always try to keep ham in the freezer so I can make it. I’m glad you liked it, thanks so much for reviewing!
Absolutely one of the best soups out there!! Thanks for a great one! 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
I’m so glad you liked it David! It’s a classic!
Thank you for all of your easy, and awesome recipes. This is easy, economical and soooooo good!
I’m so glad you liked it Julie! I almost always have the ingredients on hand to make this (ham in freezer) so it really is economical :) Thanks for the review!
Could you please include nutrition in your recipes.
I made the Mac and Cheese soup tonight for my family. I almost doubled it, I’m glad I didn’t. It makes a good amount. Even after everyone had seconds, I had four small leftover containers leftover for lunches. We all loved it. Thank you so much for sharing.
I’m so glad you liked it Sarah Jo! Thanks for commenting and leaving a review!
This soup looks delicious! I’m going to make just a few adjustments to be gluten-free for my family. I know it will be so yummy!
Thanks Michelle!! You guys are going to love this one!!
I had to make a couple of adjustments due to ingredients on hand, such as orecchiette instead of macaroni and whipping cream diluted with 1% milk instead of the half-and-half, but I stayed with the required quantities and the spirit of the recipe. It is very good the and luxurious. Reheats beautifully, especially with grated zucchini or peas, as suggested (I tried them both). Now, if only I had a magic wand to make it a low fat, low cholesterol soup, I’d make weekly. But it really delivers in flavor and texture for such a quick recipe and, as an added benefit, appeals to picky eaters.
“Luxurious” is a very good word to describe this recipe Diana! I’m so glad you like it. Thanks for the feedback and review! I love hearing from you!
Has anyone tried to make this gluten free? Buying GF noodles is easy but I haven’t tried a flour substitute on a dish like this yet. Our friends’ daughter has celiac but loves Mac and cheese so this seems like a no brainer for when they come over if it’s possible!
Hey Megan! You could totally make this gluten free! Just use GF flour and GF noodles!
The recipe looks great, and I love Ham and Cheese too, do you still baby sit your washing machine??? HA I know it is just like that with me, call the expert and it does not fail the darn thing calls you a liar and they think you are going senile. HA HA, That I chuckled at.
Fortunately the washing machine is going strong to this day Marie!! So happy to report that they have not committed me to the insane asylum yet for phantom washer floods! Haha!