Cheesy Creamy Ham and Potato Soup

Chef #719562's Note:

A rich hearty soup great for left over holiday ham. I use the bone from the ham to make the stock. DS said it was the best soup he ever had!

• Total Time: 1 hrs 15 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs

Ingredients:

Serves: 6-8

Yield: 12.0 cups

• 4 cups water
• 1 large ham bone
• 2 1/4 cups potatoes, diced
• 2 medium potatoes, halved
• 2 1/4 cups ham, cubed
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 5 tablespoons butter
• 5 tablespoons flour
• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 1 3/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Boil ham bone in 4 cups of water in large stock pot for approx 1 hour. (If omitting this step use 4 chicken bouillon or 4 cups chicken broth instead).
2. Remove ham bone and strain stock to remove any debris.
3. Boil the 2 med potatoes halved in stock until softened, remove to separate bowl.
4. Combine 2 1/4 cups diced potatoes, 1 med onion and 3 minced garlic cloves and add to stock. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook until potatoes are tender.
5. Mash 2 halved potatoes with small amount of milk and add to stock (helps to thicken).
6. In separate pan, melt butter. Add in flour a tablespoon at a time to make a roux or paste. Add milk and blend well to make a cream sauce.
7. Simmer cream sauce for 2 minutes. Add cheese and blend well. Mixture will be very gooey.
8. Add cheese blend to soup and gently mix to combine.

Reviews

[jmelinda]

This was delicious, and very rich. I made the stock from the ham bone, and just kept adding water after it had boiled down for awhile (I probably ended up using 6-8 cups overall). It made for a very rich base. Also, I took the advice of a previous review and sauteed the onion and garlic in butter beforehand, and it was fantastic! I also added black pepper and chili flakes to spice it up a bit - a wonderful recipe, will make again. Perfect for using up leftover ham on the bone.

[Cooking CF]

Very good soup. I will make again. The ony thing I would do differently will be to saute the onion and garlic in the butter to tone down the onion flavors as I thought the onion overpowered the flavor of the ham.

[chapita1950]

First time I ever made soup from left over ham bone. This recipe was EASY and delicious.