When it comes to cooking, I am a follow-the-inspiration make-up-your-own-recipes kind of cook. Of course, I do cook with recipes now and again, but if I am wanting to relax in the kitchen, it’s time to get creative. I love looking at recipes on Pinterest, and my typical Ashley originals come from getting an idea in my head, looking up a bunch of different recipes with the ingredients I want to use, and deciding on a few things to integrate into my vision for said dish. There have been great successes and there have been total failures. Today, I am sharing my favorite success.
When it comes to making original recipes, one of the funnest things to make is soup. It is easy to course-correct a soup that is over or under seasoned or that needs just a bit of love and a few additional ingredients. I am sharing Ham & Cheese Soup with you today- it’s a family favorite, and it is definitely in the “indulgent” category, as many creamy soups are. I hope you enjoy as much as we have:
- 2 cups homemade chicken broth (can be substituted with water)
- 1 whole chopped onion
- 1 whole cauliflower, cut or broken into small florets
- 1 lb. ham, cubed or diced
- 6 cups whole milk
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon seasoned salt
- 2 tablespoons oregano
- 1 tablespoon onion salt
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup flour
- 6 cups cheese, shredded
- Pour broth into large pot and turn on medium heat.
- Place chopped onion and cauliflower florets in broth to cook thoroughly. Add ham immediately. Allow onion and cauliflower to soften slightly.
- Add milk and seasonings and whisk well.
- In a small pot, melt butter. Add flour to butter and whisk for 1-2 minutes, until throughly mixed and cooked together.
- Add this thickening base to the large pot and whisk together well. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring as needed.
- Check cauliflower and onion for softness. When they are thoroughly cooked, add cheese. Mix together until cheese is completely melted.
- I make an easy chicken broth by boiling chicken in plain water and keeping that water, after the chicken is removed, for recipes such as this. It adds a nice richness to this recipe; however, water works fine, as well.
- To make this recipe a bit less indulgent and slightly less creamy, decrease cheese by 1 cup and flour and butter by 1/2 cup.
