Fool Proof Ham Hock Soup

This is an almost fool-proof ham hock soup! To us adults it might seem a little bland, because it's missing things such as onion and garlic, but my kids are onto their second bowl of it and my toddler is licking the edges!

Best part about it (and why I was inspired to share it), is that it took me all of about 10 minutes of chopping and 30 seconds of blending to prepare it.

I do advise you make this recipe on a day you'll be home all day. Unless you prefer it to be done in the slow cooker. I opted to make mine on the stove in a big pot so once it was on we were inside the rest of the day!

Soups are generally easy to make, and such a nice comfort food for winter. I'm loving introducing solids to my baby over winter! With my son it was over summer and the food choices were completely different. With that in mind, I'll be adding another set of "First Fifteen Weeks of Food Introduction" for you when you purchase (so you'll be getting 2 for the price of 1!) because I've done things differently this time around. Not for any other reason than I'm following the seasons, and cooking with the seasons. Nobody wants soup in summer!

This soup is tried and tested on windy babies.

My darling girl has a sensitive digestive system - she either has reflux, or wind, or both! So I've been careful to ensure I avoid windy foods while I'm breastfeeding her. On top of that, I thought the ham hock broth might trigger some wind in her so I've removed any other 'windy' foods from the ingredients list. And I can confidently say it's a winner! She guzzled two bowls worth of soup, and there was no wind or reflux!

Wait til you see how simple it is to make. Even I was surprised it tasted as good as it did!

Want to know more about windy babies and the foods that upset their digestion? Scroll to the end to read more.

Simple Ham Hock Soup for babies

Ingredients:

1 ham hock

2 carrots

4 celery sticks

2L filtered water

1 cup apple cider vinegar

(We opted for organic vegetables - when you have products without a thick skin to remove, like pumpkin for instance, it's best to buy organic where you can - as they're more likely to have spray residue - check out the Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen for more info)

Method:

Bring the water to boil in a large pot on the stove

Once boiling, bring to a simmer

Add in the ham hock and apple cider vinegar

Simmer for 6-7 hours, checking the water level occasionally

Roughly chop the carrot and celery

Place into the pot and simmer for an hour

Take the pot off the stove, let it cool and remove the hock

Pull all the meat off the hock (it should fall off easily) and place back into the soup

Either eat with chunky meat and veg OR blend into the consistency of your choice

Serve with paleo bread!

Didn't I tell you - SO SIMPLE! You cannot get it wrong, it's perfect to set and almost-forget.

Nutritional value of Ham Hock

Love your ham hock and want to know how it stacks up nutritionally?

Ham hock contains 25% protein, and 75% fat. It has no carbohydrate content.

While this might seem like a lot of fat, please remember that when you’re putting it into a soup, it’s being diluted a lot with vegetables and water, and you’re not in fact eating a soup that is 75% fat. Guarantee that would just taste like a bowl of fat, ha!

When cooked into a ham hock soup, you’re approximately looking at the following ratios:

5% carbohydrate

60% fat

35% protein

Of course this depends on what vegetables you put in, and whether you also add some kind of beans too.

These ratios are fantastic for babies and adults alike. The bone broth will soothe the gut lining, and the fat and protein will fill you up, creating healthy hormonal responses and appetite regulation.

Ham hock soup for the win (and if you want to know more about macros and blood sugar regulation, I’ve got a free webinar for adults and one for kids too).

Foods to avoid in your ham hock soup if your baby is windy

Ham hock soup might come as a surprise to you that it is good for windy babies. And I’m pretty certain if you added any kinds of beans to the recipe you would have a different story!

With any soup, I often encourage Mums to add whatever they’ve got laying about in the fridge. It all gets so soft that any additional vegetables can add extra nutrition (and it’s often unknown to the pickiest of eaters!).

When cooking your ham hock soup for your windy baby, I would avoid garlic, onion, leek, and any kinds of beans.

If the rest of the family wants a soup with additional flavour, you could separate some off for your baby, then continue to simmer the ham hock in the main soup with added garlic, onion and beans. Cannelloni beans are a nice choice for this kind of soup, especially if you like it thicker!

You might also want to avoid the following for your windy baby:

cauliflower
broccoli
cabbage
brussels sprouts
spring onion
paprika
white potato

The sensitive ones might also react poorly to sweet potato too!

While this sounds limiting, I invite you to experiment to be sure, as some babies are totally fine with most things, and might possibly ONLY get wind from garlic (for example).

Have you got a way to use ham hock in a soup that your kids absolutely love? Let me know in the Fearless Foodies facebook group!