Paleo Ham Soup

I began with the Paleo Ham and No-Bean Soup from mellowmama.com, but of course I changed a few things around. This is such a simple recipe that I couldn’t resist trying it. I find simple soups with limited ingredients come out much better than soups where I throw everything in the kitchen into the pot. I had an applewood smoked ham from Whole Foods that was a bit too salty for me, so I figured it would work in a soup.

1 head cauliflower
1 small ham, diced
4 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 slender scallions, chopped
pepper

Separate the cauliflower into florets, cover with water and boil until soft. Use the stick blender to puree the cauliflower. When it is smooth, add the diced ham, carrots, celery, and scallions. I had no ham bone, so I left this out. Bring soup to the boil and simmer half an hour.

Paleo cooking uses cauliflower as a base for gravy and as a grain substitute among other things, and I thought this would be a great soup base. Even without broth or a bone to boil, this soup came out satisfyingly rich. I think it would be even better with broth, but I didn’t have any on hand.