Winter Vegetable & Bacon Hock Soup is a hearty, comforting soup packed with vegetables and plenty of flavour from a bacon hock. It’s just the sort of warming recipe that is lovely to have simmering away on a cold winter’s day.
The vegetable soup mix helps give the soup plenty of body, while vegetable stock brings everything together. It’s a simple, satisfying soup that makes a generous batch for feeding the family.
Mum’s much-loved winter soup recipe
This soup reminds me of winter, always a pot on the stove top to be reheated and enjoyed with soft white buns or bread. Finally I have got Mum to write up her recipe for me so I can share it with you all.
That might be the reason why it has taken so long to get this written up – Mum always adds a bit of this and that! But I love that and she never makes a bad batch.
Which vegetables work best in this soup?
The beauty in this recipe is how versatile it is. There are a few basics that you want to make sure of, but then you can be super flexible in the vegetables and amount that you use.
Today I have used a delicious combination of vegetables that I think work really well, but I will also include the other veges that Mum says works well too! The final touch is the bacon hock, this adds a lovely salty finish to the soup with little mouthfuls of bacon in the final soup.
Using pumpkin or similar vegetable makes this soup thicker and sweeter which I like, if you prefer omit it and make a more clear vegetable soup.
Kumara, pumpkin, turnip, and any other winter vegetables you love can be added here. These types of vegetables make it thicker, so if you prefer a thinner soup omit the pumpkin.
Ingredients for this soup
The ingredients I have used are as follows. Scroll down to the printable recipe card for full ingredient quantities and method:
- Bacon hock
- Onion
- Carrots
- Pumpkin
- Leek
- Parsnip
- Courgettes
- Kings hearty vegetable soup mix
- Vegetable stock
- Salt & pepper
- Water
Kings Hearty Vegetable Soup mix is a combination soup mix you can buy at the supermarket which includes grains, legumes and vegetables which forms the base of the soup and thickens the final result.
How to make vegetable and bacon hock soup
The method is lovely and simple, the first step is to prepare and cut all of the vegetables. I was able to get some already grated vegetables on special so that was handy, but most vegetables should be grated or finely sliced.
We use a combination of vegetable stock and water for extra flavour, and the bacon hock. You want to use a large stock or soup pot for this recipe as you will use around 4 litres of water plus all the vegetables, so a stock pot that is around 7 litres works well.
To cook the soup you cook it at a gentle rolling boil for a few hours, before removing the bacon hock, remove all the bacon meat from the bone, and then finely dice and add back into the soup and cook for a further 30 minutes to an hour until the bacon has softened and the soup has reduced by at least a litre and thickened.
Adding the pumpkin means that this soup is thicker than if you leave it out but it gives it a lovely texture. Each batch you make will be slightly different depending on what vegetables you choose to use.
Can I reheat and freeze this soup?
This soup is perfect served fresh and just as lovely reheated. Simply pop it back in a saucepan and slowly bring to a hot temperature and serve again.
I recommend freezing in either zip-lock bags flattened or in airtight containers once cold. Here is a video showing tips on how I freeze soup in portions using zip-lock bags:
Other soup recipes to try
I have lots of other lovely soups on my website, so be sure to check them out HERE:
- Cauliflower & Broccoli Soup
- Potato & Leek Soup
- Thai Pumpkin Soup
- Slow Cooker Roasted Tomato & Basil Soup
- Easy Slow Cooker Pumpkin Soup
- Roasted Carrot & Cumin Soup
My Mum’s Winter Vegetable and Bacon Hock Soup recipe
Winter Vegetable and Bacon Hock Soup
Winter Vegetable & Bacon Hock Soup is a hearty, flavourful soup made with plenty of vegetables, vegetable soup mix, stock and a delicious bacon hock.
Ingredients
- 1 Onion, finely diced
- 3 Large Carrots, grated
- 3 Parsnips, grated
- 300 grams Pumpkin, grated
- 1 Leek, finely diced
- 300 grams Courgettes, grated, approx 2 large
- 1 Packet Kings Hearty Vegetable Soup Mix
- 1.5 Litres Vegetable Stock
- 2 Litres Water
- 1 Bacon Hock, rinsed
- Pinch of Pepper
- *Salt if needed at final taste
Optional
- 1/2 Small Turnip, grated
- 1-2 stalks celery, finely diced
- Parsley to serve
Instructions
- You will need a large soup or stock pot - minimum of 7 litres in size
- Rinse and prepare your vegetables, peel and grate or dice everything as above
- Add the diced onions, grated carrots, parsnips, pumpkin, courgette, diced and twice rinsed leek to the stock pot.
- Sprinkle over the soup mix and a pinch of pepper.
- Then pour over the chicken stock and the water and stir
- Rinse your bacon hock then add it whole to the stock pot and ensure everything is well covered with water
- Bring to the boil, with the lid off, then reduce to a simmer for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally until the soup liquid has reduced by around a litre
- Carefully remove the bacon hock with tongs and on a wooden board cut off the bacon meat from the hock, discard the skin and bones and return the bacon meat finely diced to the soup and cook for a further 20-30 minutes until the bacon meat is tender
- Check the taste to see if you require additional salt and add a pinch if required.
- You can serve the soup warm straight away, or allow it to cool and place in refrigerator or freezer to reheat at a later time.
- Serve with a sprinkle of parsley if you have it on hand.
- Enjoy!
Notes
*Leeks
Leeks require rinsing well as they tend to hide grit in the layers of the leek, so once sliced, add to a colander and rinse and break apart the layers to ensure it is fully rinsed
What other vegetables can I use in vegetable soup?
Kumara, Pumpkin, Turnip, and any other winter vegetables you love can be added here. These types of vegetables make it thicker, so if you prefer a thinner soup omit the pumpkin
Can I reheat this soup?
Absolutely, this is lovely reheated, simply pop it back in a saucepan and slowly bring to a hot temperature and serve again.
Can I freeze this soup?
Definitely, freeze in either ziplock bags flattened or in airtight containers once cold.
Nutrition Information
Yield 9 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 80Total Fat 2gSaturated Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 2gCholesterol 4mgSodium 291mgCarbohydrates 13gFiber 3gSugar 5gProtein 3g
JustAMumNZ.com, occasionally offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site. This information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although justamumnz.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
It is so lovely to have yet another of my Mum’s classic recipes up here on the website. I really hope you love this Winter Vegetable & Bacon Hock Soup as much as we do. It’s such a lovely recipe for the colder months, and one I know we’ll enjoy all winter long.
If you give this recipe a go, I’d love to hear how it turned out for you in the comments. You can also leave a ⭐ rating in the recipe card above, it really helps others find and enjoy this recipe too.
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Happy baking,
Anna x
Jane Witney-Taylor says
We really loved it!
I am doing meals for a sick friend and will include this recipe in my next batch of food!
justamumnz says
That’s so lovely to hear
BARBARA Mary BRITTON says
I have made a variation of this soup for years, using what I have on hand at the time. The soup reheats and freezes well. My family love it.