Hearty Ham and Potato Soup

It's raining and the wind is blowing pretty hard here...which makes me want to cuddle up to a nice bowl of soup. I found this soup recipe on a blog that I read called Simple Organized Living, and it sounds and looks really good! Andrea, mentions that this soup does not freeze well, so I figured that I would pass that along to you too! Enjoy Andrea's recipe - I am going to!

Hearty Ham and Potato Soup

Ingredients

• 2 T. oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 qts. water
• 6 medium baking potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 3 carrots, sliced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 1/2 c. butter
• 1/2 c. flour
• 1 1/2 c. milk or cream
• 1/2 lb. ham, cubed
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

• Heat oil in a large pot and sautee onions until soft

• Add water, potatoes, carrots, and celery

• Boil until veggies are tender {about 15 minutes}

• Drain and reserve all liquid {you will use some of this broth later on…and you can freeze the rest of it}
• Set veggies aside
• In the same pan, melt butter
• Whisk flour and milk together and add to the melted butter, string constantly until mixture thickens
• Add 1 cup or more of reserved broth — if you like thicker soup, add less — thinner soup, add more
• Gently stir in cooked vegetables and ham.
• You may add more broth if you want a thinner soup, or let it simmer for a while if it’s too thin. (freeze the reaming broth for future use)
• Serve with salad and fresh bread, garlic bread, or rolls.

Update: I have to say that I thought that this soup was bland. It could have been that I only had 5 oz of ham instead of 8 oz, or it could be lacking in some herbs. It was good, but not the best tasting soup that I have made.