Confession: My weakness is creamy soups. Creamy potato, creamy tomato, creamy broccoli, creamy chicken tortilla, oh my gosh, I just love a creamy soup!

One of my all-time favorite winter soups is creamy potato ham soup.  The creaminess from the broth and cream mixture with the heartiness of potatoes, ham, celery, and carrots is the absolute best combo. And to top it off, what soup is not dynamite without a bacon and cheese topping?! AH! So so so good. This may or may not be a reason I gain weight during the soup season :/

A creamy soup, well actually any soup, paired with a perfect crusty bread, and I j u s t can’t say no.

I use The Pioneer Woman’s recipe for Potato Soup. She, Ree Drummond, is a witty ranch homemaker who has some fabulous rustic recipes. I love when I google a recipe and hers shows up on top, it’s bound to be delicious!

I get a Honeybaked Ham every once in a while for sandwiches and meals because, let’s face it, theirs are just the best, and that crunch on top, GAH! We were about at the end of the mini ham, so I take her soup recipe and add the rest of the ham (plus the bone for flavoring!) because the meat component in the soup makes it that much better. I love hearty soups!

I paired our soup with the best baguette I’ve ever had from Breadico and of course added a beer to toast with my hubs. I went with the Widmer Brothers Okto Festival Ale, because I’m addicted to seasonal beers. Delicious!

Here it is, folks (My edits to the recipe are in parenthesis)

Potato Ham Soup

Ingredients

• 6 slices Thin Bacon, Cut Into 1-inch Pieces
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Diced
• 3 whole Carrots, Scrubbed Clean And Diced
• 3 stalks Celery, Diced
• 6 whole Small Russet Potatoes, Peeled And Diced (I used 5)
• (2 cups ham diced – I love to add the ham, it makes it heartier and I love a meat added! I add the bone also, just to increase the flavoring)
• 8 cups Low Sodium Chicken Or Vegetable Broth (I used chicken)
• 3 Tablespoons All-purpose Flour
• 1 cup Milk
• 1/2 cup Heavy Cream (I like mine really creamy, so I used 3/4 cup, ok maybe 1 cup, ha)
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt, More To Taste
• Black Pepper To Taste
• 1/2 teaspoon Cajun Spice Mix
• 1 teaspoon Minced Fresh Parsley
• 1 cup Grated Cheese Of Your Choice (I used Tillamook Sharp White Cheddar Cheese)

Preparation Instructions

Add bacon pieces to a soup pot over medium heat and cook bacon until crisp and fat is rendered. Remove the bacon from the pot and set it aside. Pour off most of the grease, but do not clean the pot.

Return the hot to medium-high heat and add the onions, carrots, and celery. Stir and cook for 2 minutes or so, then add the diced potatoes. Cook for 5 minutes, seasoning with salt, pepper, and Cajun spice.

(This is where I added the ham. I like to give it a little color and fry it a tad before adding the broth

Pour in the broth and bring it to a gentle boil. Cook for 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are starting to get tender. Whisk together the flour and the milk, then pour into the soup and allow the soup to cook for another 5 minutes.

Remove half to 2/3 the soup and blend in a blender/food processor until completely smooth. (I only did about a 1/3 of the soup. I like my soup hearty and rustic! So I didn’t want the potatoes all pureed)

Pour it back into the soup pot and stir to combine. Pour in grated cheese to melt. Let it heat back up as you taste for seasonings, adding more of what it needs. Stir in cream, then stir in parsley, reserving a little for garnish.

Serve in bowls garnished with parsley, extra grated cheese, and crisp bacon pieces.

Enjoy, and worry about the cream and bacon later ;) It’s just too good to mourn.