Delicious Ham & Potato Soup

Recently I searched allrecipes.com for a new ham & potato soup recipe, as I didn't have one that I loved. The one I found had a 5 star rating with over 5300 reviews- so I figured it had to be good! It was! I've made it twice in the past week (since we loved it and I still had most of the ingredients on hand).

Including chopping the vegetables, it takes about 45 minutes to make. It serves about 6, and the leftovers are good, too. Basically, you cook the ham & vegetables in a pot of water, and in a separate pot you make a creamy milk sauce. Mix the two together and you're done!





(Original recipe from here)

Delicious Ham and Potato Soup
Printable version here

3 1/2 cups diced potatoes (peeled if desired)
1/2 cup diced celery
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup diced cooked ham
3 cups water
1 tbsp. chicken bouillon
1/2 tsp. each salt & pepper, or to taste
3 tbsp. butter
3 tbsp. flour
2 cups milk, warmed

1. Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, ham, water, bouillon, salt and pepper in a large pot. Bring to a gentle boil, then simmer for 10-15 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

2. Once you turn on the pot to boil, start making the sauce in a separate saucepan. Melt butter over medium-low heat, then whisk in the flour. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the milk. Bring it to a simmer, stirring often, then cook for a few more minutes until thickened.

3. Stir the milk mixture into the potato mixture, season to taste, and serve. Top with grated cheese, if desired. Enjoy!

Notes
- Feel free to add more or less of the vegetables; this is just the amount I like
- You could substitute the water & bouillon for chicken broth
- I slightly peel the potatoes, just while I'm cutting them. I slice off the ends and part of the flat surface, which leaves us with about half the peel still attached.

Why I love it? It's relatively quick to make, easy (and doesn't require any specialized kitchen equipment- just a cutting board, knife, and 2 pots!), inexpensive, pretty healthy (the thickened milk is a lot healthier than adding cream), and it's just delicious! It's so creamy, and all the tastes are perfectly balanced. I wouldn't mind making this over & over all winter!