Creamy Ham and Wild Rice Soup

Christmas was yesterday and I am sitting at the kitchen table in the quiet aftermath, drinking coffee, looking at the wrapping paper I have not yet cleaned up because the mess is evidence that something beautiful happened here, and I am not ready to erase it yet.

Christmas Eve was everything it should have been. Beef stew simmered all day. The bread was warm. Gayle came at four. Larry came at five, still in his truck clothes because he had been on the road until noon. We ate at the table with candles and the tree lights and the soft noise of a family that has been through things and still finds reasons to sit together. Gayle said grace. She mentioned Darla, the way she does, quick and quiet, like touching a bruise to check if it still hurts. It does. It always does. But the stew was good and the bread was warm and the kids were vibrating with Christmas Eve energy, and the hurt and the joy held hands the way they always do in this family.

Christmas morning the kids were up at five-thirty, which is earlier than I wake up for a haul. Josie came running into our room screaming it is Christmas and Dave groaned and I laughed and we went downstairs and the tree was lit and the presents were there and for two hours the living room was nothing but wrapping paper and joy.

Amber got her books and held them like treasure. Tyler got a tool set and immediately tried to take apart the toaster. Justin got his Wilson football and went outside in his pajamas to throw it in the yard. Josie got her stuffed hamster and was not disappointed for even one minute, which proves that love, when applied to a stuffed animal, can overcome the limitations of reality.

Christmas dinner: ham, glazed with brown sugar and mustard. Mashed potatoes, real ones. Green bean casserole. Rolls. The chocolate sheet cake. Gayle brought her pumpkin pie. Larry ate two plates and fell asleep on the couch, which he has done every Christmas since I can remember. Dave carved the ham with the same seriousness he brings to the turkey. The kids ate until they were groaning. I looked at them, all of them, around the table, alive and fed and together, and I thought: this. This is what Darla should have had. This is what we built in the space where her absence lives. A table, a meal, a family. It is not enough. It will have to be enough. Merry Christmas.

After a Christmas like that—full and heavy with love and grief in equal measure—I didn’t want the ham to just disappear into leftovers. There’s something about a table full of people you’d do anything for that makes you want to stretch the meal out, keep feeding them, keep them close just a little longer. This soup is what I make the day after, when the house is quieter and I’m still thinking about all of it. It turns what’s left of the ham into something warm and slow and worth sitting down for again.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 45 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour | Servings: 6

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
3 medium carrots, peeled and diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup wild rice blend, uncooked and rinsed
2 cups cooked ham, diced (leftover Christmas ham works perfectly)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Instructions

Saute the vegetables. In a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 6–8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
Build the base. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir to coat. Cook for 1–2 minutes to eliminate the raw flour taste, stirring constantly.
Add broth and rice. Slowly pour in the chicken broth, stirring as you go to prevent lumps. Add the wild rice, thyme, rosemary, black pepper, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
Simmer until rice is tender. Reduce heat to low, cover partially, and simmer for 35–40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the wild rice is fully cooked and the grains have begun to split open.
Add the ham and cream. Stir in the diced ham and heavy cream. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes until warmed through. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
Serve. Ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh parsley. Serve with crusty bread or warm rolls.

Nutrition (per serving)

Creamy Ham and Wild Rice Soup — The Quiet Morning After Christmas