Hearty Ham and Potato Soup

I’m so glad this was on our menu this week. I have a terrible head cold and sore throat. This soup was easy to assemble, and it was really comforting. I told my husband he should be cooking for me, but he said I probably didn’t want him to cook. He’s probably right, I haven’t been very impressed with his cooking skills. In his favor, he came home yesterday with 2 boxes of Therflu, a box of Sudafed, and a box of hot chocolate. Now that’s love  🙂  Hope you enjoy this soup as much as we did. Our only complaint, was that it didn’t have enough potatoes, so next time I will increase the amount.

Hearty Ham and Potato Soup

Source: Let’s Dish, Adapted from Allrecipes

 

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup celery, diced

1/2 cup finely diced onion (I used onion powder)

3 cups peeled and diced potatoes

1 cup diced ham

3-4 cups chicken broth, enough to cover vegetables

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

5 tablespoons butter

5 tablespoons flour

2 cups milk

shredded cheese for garnish (I actually added 1 cup of shredded cheddar at the end to the entire batch of soup)

Melt butter in a large stockpot over medium heat.  Add the onions and celery and cook until just tender.  Add the potatoes, ham and chicken stock, using just enough stock to cover the vegetables and meat.  Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook, stirring constantly until thick, about 1 minute. Whisk in milk and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot and continue cooking soup until heated through and bubbly. Ladle into bowls and top with shredded cheese, if desired.