Ham and Potato Soup

I was very pleased with how easy this recipe was and how delicious it turned out.  Chris gave it his stamp of approval and it warmed us up on a chilly winter night.  It was also not overly heavy but with enough substance so that I could go to my Jazzercise class an hour later.  (Leftovers reheated well, too!).  Speaking of Jazzercise, I've yet to find the balance between going to class, cooking goodies, and eating them without feeling sick when I'm jumping around.  Soups seem to work well so far so you may see more of that for awhile...

For my personal taste I felt the chicken buillion overpowered the ham (bought packaged pre-diced John Morell ham) and overall it was a bit too salty so I made some changes to the recipe by cutting down the buillion and removing the added salt.  In its place thought I added some shredded cheese to the soup base...because I love love love cheese!  I also used green pepper in place of the celery and of course added some garlic powder(!) as a matter of preference.

The way that the roux and milk mixture came together was also impressive.  So much so that I will consider using it for other cream based soup recipes that I try in the future.  It really added a smooth and comforting aspect to the soup!

Ham and Potato Soup
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Prep Time: 20 Min
Cook Time: 25 Min
Ready In: 45 Min
Yields: 8 Servings

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups peeled and diced potatoes
• 1/3 cup diced green peppers
• 1/3 cup finely chopped onion
• 3/4 cup diced cooked ham
• 3 1/4 cups water
• 4 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon ground white or black pepper, or to taste
• 5 tablespoons butter
• 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• Parsley

Directions

1. Combine the potatoes, green pepper, onion, ham and water in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the chicken bouillon, garlic powder and pepper.
2. In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour with a fork, and cook, stirring constantly until thick, about 1 minute. Slowly add in milk and whisk until smooth. Continue stirring over medium-low heat until thick, 4 to 5 minutes.
3. Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot and cook soup until heated through. Remove from heat and add shredded cheddar cheese.  Ladle into bowls and serve immediately, garnishing with additional shredded cheese and parsley, if desired.

Source: Modified from All Recipes