Southern Ham and Dumplings
Put your leftover ham to good use with this recipe for hearty and flavorful ham dumplings.
Ham and dumplings is similar to chicken and dumplings, but with all of the smoky, salty flavor you can only get from cooking with ham. It’s a southern classic comfort food that’s frugal and filling!
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Growing up in the south, I’ve learned all kinds of ways to stretch ingredients while still making something that feels cozy and filling.
And any good southerner knows you never discard a ham bone with meat on it. Even if you’ve been up to your eyeballs in holiday ham, you can wrap the ham bone up and freeze it for later.
When it’s time to put the ham bone to good use, ham and dumplings is always an excellent choice.
This recipe lets the ham cook for a while in the broth, giving it a smoky, salty flavor you just can’t get any other way.
Add in the homemade rolled dumplings, and you have a frugal, delicious dinner that would make your grandma proud!
It’s similar to Cracker Barrel chicken and dumplings, but with ham instead of chicken, making it a old-fashioned comfort food using the ingredients you have on hand.
More Recipes for Using Leftover Ham:
How to Make Ham Dumplings
It’s really easy to make this southern meal.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Chicken broth
- Water
- Celery
- Onion
- Meaty ham bone (or chopped ham)
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Milk
- Salt & pepper
How to Make It:
Find the full printable recipe available below
Cook the ham bone. Combine broth, water, celery, onion chunk, and ham bone, bringing it to a boil. Then reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the pot.
Let it simmer for about an hour to an hour and a half, to really get the ham flavor infused into the broth.
Make the dumpling dough. When you’re nearing the end of the cook time for the ham bone, go ahead and make your dumpling dough.
You’ll combine the flour, baking powder, and salt with some milk, mixing it to create a shaggy dough.
Roll and cut the dumplings. Then, you’ll roll out the dough on a floured surface. You want it to be about 1/4-inch thick.
Use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into squares or rectangles that are roughly an inch or two wide.
Cook the dumplings. Then, you’ll remove the ham bone from the broth and remove the meat from the bone. Discard the bone.
Go ahead and scoop out the celery and onion pieces, too, and discard them.
Add your dumplings to the simmering broth and let them cook, stirring occasionally, for about 20-30 minutes. They should be the consistency of an al dente noodle when they’re ready.
Add the ham back in. Once the dumplings are cooked, add the ham pieces back into the pot, stirring to combine.
Add salt and pepper to taste, then serve and enjoy!
Notes and Adaptations:
- I prefer to use a leftover ham bone from my holiday ham (I always save them in the freezer until I want to use them!). If you don’t have a ham bone, you could add about 2-3 cups of chopped cooked ham instead of the ham bone. Ham hocks will work in a pinch, but they don’t have as much meat on them, so I don’t typically use them.
- Because hams can vary in terms of how salty they are, I prefer to wait until after cooking to add any extra salt.
Recommended Equipment:
- Dutch oven or stock pot
- Pizza cutter
- Rolling pin
Ham and Dumplings
Ingredients
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 3 cups water
- 2 ribs celery (broken in half)
- 1/2 medium onion (as a chunk)
- 1 large meaty ham bone (see notes below for substitution)
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons milk
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven or stockpot, combine broth, water, celery, onion chunk, and ham bone. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover the pot and simmer for about 1 – 1.5 hours.
- Near the end of that cook time, you can prepare the dumplings. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add in the milk, stirring until a shaggy dough forms.
- Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface. Use a floured rolling pin to roll the dough out to 1/4-inch thickness. Use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into squares (roughly an inch or two in size).
- Remove the ham bone to a cutting board. Let it cool enough to be handled easily. Cut or pull the ham off the bone, then discard the bone. Set the ham aside.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the pieces of celery and onion from the broth, then discard.
- Add the dough pieces to the simmering broth and simmer for about 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, allowing the dumplings to cook and the broth to thicken to a gravy-like consistency.
- Return the ham pieces to the pot and stir to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste, if desired, then serve and enjoy!
Notes
- I prefer to use a leftover ham bone from my holiday ham (I always save them in the freezer until I want to use them!). If you don’t have a ham bone, you could add about 2-3 cups of chopped cooked ham instead of the ham bone. Ham hocks will work in a pinch, but they don’t have as much meat on them, so I don’t typically use them.
- Because hams can vary in terms of how salty they are, I prefer to wait until after cooking to add any extra salt.
Equipment
Nutrition
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