This ham and potato soup has a rich, creamy broth that is loaded with vegetables and diced ham. The perfect filling soup for a cold day!
Want to make your own broth for this soup, make sure to use this Pork Broth recipe! Why not also serve your soup with homemade bread using this Parker House Rolls Recipe?
Creamy Ham and Potato Soup
Soups are the ultimate winter comfort food, especially when packed with hearty vegetables and pieces of meat. This creamy potato soup is the perfect way to warm up on a cold winter’s day; full of vegetables and tasty ham, it ticks all the important boxes.
Which One Is Better, Velveeta Or Cheddar Cheese?
Velveeta works best in this recipe and adds to the soup’s creaminess.
However, Velveeta-style cheeses have their own taste, similar to real cheese, but not quite. Fake cheeses are very much one of those love them or hate them types of food. If you fall into the latter category, you will want to use real cheddar cheese in your soup.
If you choose to use cheddar rather than Velveeta a handy trick is still to add a tiny amount of fake cheese to keep that creamy texture. Don’t worry; a small amount of fake cheese will not be noticeable in terms of taste but will make all the difference in mouth feel thanks to the sodium citrate it provides.
Could You Use Pork Broth Instead Of Ham Broth?
Being a ham and potato soup, it only makes sense to use ham or pork broth as the base of your soup if you have a ham bone left over from a roast. If you don’t, simply use chicken broth.
What Vegetables Work Best In Creamy Potato Soup?
There are no rules about which vegetables to put in your soup. After all, that is the joy of cooking; you can customize dishes to suit your taste.
However, some vegetables will work better in this soup than others. You want to try and stick with vegetables that keep their structure when cooked. Things like broccoli and cauliflower tend to fall apart in soups and get lost too easily.
So if you are making creamy potato soup for the first time and are unsure which vegetables to choose, here are a few suggestions.
- Peas
Frozen peas are a classic in soups and for a good reason. Peas require absolutely no prep before being ready to put into your soup and add a burst of green color to the final dish.
- Sweetcorn
Sweetcorn is another frozen vegetable classic that can be added to almost every soup. Sweetcorn is an excellent addition as it adds color, sweetness, and a slight crunch to each spoonful.
- Carrots
Consider using small carrot cubes in your soup if you want to add sweetness but are not a fan of sweetcorn. Make sure that if you use carrots, you get small carrot cubes as you don’t want to add large slices of carrot to your soup, affecting the texture.
- Green Beans
Frozen green beans chopped into roughly one-inch pieces pair with the taste of the ham and make an excellent addition to this soup. Plus, they add a little extra color!
Looking for more delicious Soup recipes? Try these out:
• Split Pea & Ham Soup (Using the Ham Bone)
Happy cooking!
Love,
Karlynn
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Creamy Ham and Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 2 cups diced cooked ham
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium white onion peeled and diced
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 6 cups pork broth chicken or ham broth also work
- 6 cups Russet potatoes peeled & diced
- 2 cups frozen vegetable mix your preference
- 3 teaspoons dried basil
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 8 ounces Velveeta cheese cubed or 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
Instructions
- In a large soup pot or dutch oven ,fry the onions in the butter until the onions are soft. Add in the garlic and sautee until browned and fragrant.
- Add in the potatoes, broth, vegetables, basil and parsley. Bring to a low simmer and place the lid on top of the pot.
- Cook for 3-40 minutes on the stove or until the potatoes are tender and starting to dissolve slightly.
- Whisk the cornstarch into the milk, then whisk into the soup.
- Add the Velveeta or shredded cheese and let it melt, stirring occasionally.
- When it’s melted in completely, add in the ham. Simmer for 3-4 minutes until the ham is heated.
- Remove the soup from the heat.
- Spoon into bowls and serve.
Sandra says
Yikes! Auto spell check got me!
Try this with a mixture of fresh pork broth and smoked ham broth. Use fresh chopped celery and white mushrooms instead of the frozen vegetables, which have little taste. Add 1/2 tsp dried thyme and a dash of cayenne pepper. Finish by stirring in 1/4 cup dry sherry and continue to heat soup for 5 minutes before serving.
Sandra says
Try this with a mixture of fresh pork broth and smoked ham broth. Use fresh chopped celery and white mushrooms instead of the friendliest vegetables, which have little taste. Add 1/2 tsp dried thyme and a dash of cayenne pepper. Finish by stirring in 4 cup dry sherry and continue to heat soup for 5 minutes before serving.