The Best Ham and Potato Soup In The World

I could eat this soup by the pot-ful If I had an ounce less of self-restraint. It is seriously that good. I crave it if we haven't had it at least once a month.

I'm going to be really nice and actually share with you the amazing, super-easy, (hey, if I can do it, you can do it) wonderful recipe for this creamy potatoey goodness.

Delicious Creamy Ham and Potato Soup Recipe:



Originally found on Allrecipes.com, modified to fit our tastes. :)



Ingredients:
- 7 cups of peeled, diced potatoes
- 2/3 cup chopped celery (about 2 large stalks)
- 2/3 cup finely chopped onion (About 1/2 an onion)
- 1 and 1/2 cups diced ham chunks
- 6 and 1/2 cups of cooked ham broth ...

You see, instead of water, we fill up a huge pot of water ahead of time and boil the ham bone from our spiral-cut ham. It makes a savory broth full of healthy stuff that cooks out of the bone. It's also the secret ingredient for making a perfect pot of soup.

If you don't have ham broth, you can substitute water and 2 Tablespoons of chicken bouillion granules. But only if you're desperate.

Back to the ingredients!

- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- A dash of garlic powder to taste
- 2 teaspoons ground white or black pepper, or to taste (We usually use 1 teaspoon of black pepper. But I prefer 2.) ;)
- 10 Tablespoons butter
- 10 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 4 cups of milk


Directions:
(The soup base)
1. Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, ham and broth in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the salt, pepper, and garlic.

(The white sauce)
2. In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium heat (we usually do medium-high on our stove, seems to work more accurately). Whisk in flour and cook, stirring constantly until thick, for about 1 minute. Slowly stir in milk so as not to allow lumps to form until all of the milk has been added. Continue stirring over medium-ish (or medium-high) heat until thickened, about 4-5 minutes.

(The grand combining)
3. Stir the milk mixture (white sauce) into the stockpot (with the soup base) and cook soup for a weensy bit until it's all mixed together nicely. Serve immediately.

It's even better left over. I could eat it cold, it's so good. Mmmmmmmmm.

I hope you enjoy this soup! It's perfect for these right-before-spring, sort-of-chilly evenings. :)

I went somewhere with a friend my age this past Saturday, and she and I had such a wonderful time! I am still editing the pictures from our excursion, but once I get a nice collection I'll share them and tell you about what fun we had. :D Sound good? Okay. I'll see you then. :)