Ham and Vegetable Chowder

The holidays are long  gone, but we still have some leftover ham, so I decided to make this Ham and Vegetable Chowder which is  perfect for this cold weather that we've been having. It is a hearty, easy soup that's ready in 30 minutes so you won’t spend hours in the kitchen with this one! Sounds perfect, right? I sometimes use cooking cheats for this like a carton of reduced fat cream starter, but even if you use the usual chowder ingredients like I did here (milk, chicken broth and flour), it still won't take that much time!

If you don't have ham, turkey or chicken will also work. It’s very comforting and perfect during the cold fall and winter days, or even during days when you just feel like having a nice bowl of soup. You should try it!

Ingredients:
Serves 6-8

• 2 cups cooked ham, diced
• 2 cups potatoes, peeled and dice
• 1 cup broccoli florets
• 1 cup carrots, peeled and dice
• 1 cup celery, diced
• ½ cup onions, minced
• 1 tsp herbes de provence
• 6 cups chicken broth (or if you have the ham bone, boil it in about 6 cups water and use that instead)
• 2 cups milk
• ¼ cup butter
• ½ cup all purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 6 pcs. turkey bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1 tsp parsley flakes (for garnish)

Instructions:

1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, saute ham in olive oil for about 3 minutes. Add the potatoes and cook for about 3 minutes. Add broccoli, carrots, celery, onions and herbes de provence. Cook for 3 minutes more or until everything is crisp tender, stirring occasionally. Add the broth in the saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil. 

2. In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.  Whisk flour into butter until thickened, about 1 minute. Slowly stir milk into flour mixture until mixture is smooth and thickened. Stir milk mixture into soup. Season with salt and pepper to suit your taste. Cook for about 5 minutes or until thickened and heated through, stirring occasionally. Serve warm in a bowl with crumbled bacon and a pinch of parsley flakes.

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