Last week one of my daughters tried an easy potato soup recipe that she'd found on Pinterest, one of those open-a-couple-of-cans-and-pour-them-in-the-crockpot type recipes. It's definitely easy, but I thought I'd work on a healthier, but still pretty easy, version for her.
I started by swapping the frozen hash browns for a quart of home-canned potatoes, but frozen potatoes (either hash browns or chunks) would still be acceptable. Homemade chicken broth was used instead of a purchased container of broth. I grated a block of cheddar cheese. I opted not to use cream cheese but if I did, I'd cut it into smaller chunks before adding to the crockpot. And since I don't use "cream of" soups, I made a cream base instead.
In a small skillet, I melted two tablespoons of butter. When the butter melted I added a quarter cup of flour and whisked the two together until smooth.
I resisted buying a whisk for so many years. I'm not sure why, maybe because I was "being frugal". I wish I'd bought one earlier, it's so much easier to make soups and sauces with one.
Potato Soup
Potatoes, either a quart of home-canned potatoes or a small package of frozen potatoes
Chicken broth, a quart of homemade or a container of store-bought
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
8 oz cream cheese, cut into small pieces
2 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup flour
1 cup cream
1 cup milk
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Melt the butter in a small skillet, then add the flour. Whisk till smooth and cook for a minute or two, stirring constantly. Whisk in the cream. Add milk and chicken broth and stir, using whisk.
Transfer to crockpot. Add cheddar cheese and cream cheese. Cook on Low until the cream cheese melts. Stir until the cream cheese is incorporated. Thin if needed with milk or additional chicken broth. Gently add potatoes, cook for 2-3 hours on Low. Add sea salt and pepper to taste and serve. Garnish with crumbled cooked bacon, grated cheese, and a dollop of sour cream.
Variations: Substitute half-and-half or milk for the cream if you wish. You could also add chopped onions and carrots to the melted butter and cook until soft, then add the flour and proceed with the directions. If you add onions and carrots you'll need to cook the soup longer, until the carrots are done.
Related Posts:
Soup Recipe Roundup
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