A hearty soup for a cold winter day!

(Photo by Taste of Home)

A few weeks ago, I found a small package of cubed ham in the freezer and was trying to decide how to use it.  I remembered this great Cheddar Chowder recipe I used to make years ago.  So I tried it again, making the recipe somewhat lower in fat, and we really liked this soup.  Hearty and comforting on a cold day!  I have changed the recipe so much from how it was written in an old A Taste of the Country cookbook that I will just write it out the way I made it.

CHEDDAR  CHOWDER
 3 cups water
3 cups diced potatoes
2 cups diced carrots
1 to 2 cups diced celery
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
3 cups milk
6 Tablespoons flour OR 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup (or more) cubed ham

In a large soup kettle combine water, potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 10 to 15 minutes or until carrots are nearly tender.  Do not drain vegetables or turn off stove burner.

Shake together the milk and flour until well combined.  I like to use one of those Tupperware® plastic shaker gadgets.  These only hold 2 cups, so I did 1 1/2 cups and 3 Tblsp. flour to start with and then did the remaining 1 1/2 cups of milk and 3 Tblsp. flour.  (If you prefer to use cornstarch, it will work better to stir the cornstarch into the milk until it is smooth.)  In either case, flour or cornstarch, slowly stir the milk mixture into the simmering vegetables.  Continue stirring and cooking until the soup has thickened.

Stir in the cheddar cheese until melted; add the cubed ham and heat through.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

This is becoming one of our favorite winter soups!  I hope that you and your family enjoy it, too.