Well, it’s a few days after Easter and I still have ham in my fridge! I don’t like to waste any food at our house, so soup it is. I actually love a good soup and with the chilly “Spring” weather we had today (42 degrees 😬) I thought it would warm my family up too.

I feel blessed that we have a little room to spread out here in the country. The kids can get outside and really go their own way if they like. After not going anywhere for about a month, they tend to get on each other’s nerves once in a while… and mine.

The fresh air does feel so good, even if it is cold. The leaves are starting to bud on the trees here and the daffodils are blooming. It’s important to take care of our mental health these days too. Go for a walk, get some fresh air and be thankful for all of the little things we have.

I am thankful that my family is healthy and we can enjoy this soup meal together!

This soup is not only creamy, delicious and hearty, but it’s super easy to make and you should have most of these ingredients on hand. If not, you can improvise!

After peeling, cubing and boiling your potatoes, reserve 2 cups of the liquid. This will be added to the soup later to help thicken it up. Think of it as “potato broth”! After you drain and reserve your water, just set your cubed potatoes aside.

In your stock pot, saute the onions and grated carrots in butter until fragrant and translucent.

Add flour and stir to create a paste (your “roux”) then slowly add the reserved potato water and your milk. I usually use 2% milk in this recipe but any will do. Then stir some more. Stir, stir, stir…

After bringing that creamy base to a low boil, add your shredded pepper jack and sharp cheddar cheeses and give it a good stir. If you have different cheeses at home, that’s fine too. White cheddar, Colby jack or mild cheddar should work as well.

Since I had some leftover steamed green beans in the refrigerator I cut those into 1 inch sized pieces, along with my ham. If you have some leftover vegetables or just some in the freezer- you can mix those into the soup at this point.

Seasoning your soup to taste means what it says. To YOUR taste. I like to add some freshly cracked black pepper and a pinch of salt to the soup to season it a bit.

Your potatoes are the last item to get added and after giving everything one good last stir, you’re all finished!

Serve this soup hot and garnished with a little fresh or dried parsley for some color.

This soup is great on it’s own, but it’s really good served with rolls, biscuits or a loaf of crusty bread. My children love to dip bread into their creamy soups.

I hope you & your family are staying happy, healthy and safe during this difficult time. If you have an elderly neighbor, parent or grandparent, please check in on them. You can even leave a container of soup on their steps and say hello with a wave through the glass on the door. I hope you enjoy this soup & your family.

Remember #wereallinthistogether

Print Recipe

Cheesy Ham & Potato Soup

This delicious & hearty Cheesy Ham & Potato Soup is a great way to use any leftover ham. It's easy to make and serves a crowd!

Course: Main Course, Soup

Servings: 8

Ingredients

2 lbs. Russet Potatoes peeled, cubed, cooked and drained (reserve 2 cups of the liquid)
1/2 cup butter
1 medium onion chopped
2 medium carrots grated
2 cups reserved potato water
6 cups milk
3-4 cups ham roughly chopped
1 cup green beans cut into bite size pieces
2 cups pepper jack cheese grated
1 cup cheddar cheese sharp or extra sharp
freshly cracked black pepper to taste
salt to taste