Creamy Ham and Potato Soup

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This recipe is from Christy over at The Girl Who Ate Everything. Follow the recipe here (with my additions and improvements in red).
Creamy Ham and Potato Soup - Serves 6
3 1/2 cups peeled and diced potatoes
1/3 cup diced celery
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup carrot, diced (optional)
1 cup diced cooked ham (I ended up adding 2 cups. One cup seemed a little on the skimpy side.)
3 1/4 cups chicken broth
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
1 tsp ground white or black pepper, or to taste
5 tbsps butter
5 tbsps all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
Note: I added some carrots that I had and Becky said she adds a can of corn too which would be good.
Note: I thought the soup a little under seasoned. So I added 2 cloves of garlic, minced and 2 tsps of dried basil. My hubby LOVED the soup with the basil.)
Directions:
1) Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, carrot, ham and chicken broth (and garlic) in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in salt and pepper (and basil).
2) In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour with a fork, and cook, stirring constantly until thick, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in milk so that lumps don't form and until all of the milk has been added. Continue stirring over medium-low heat until thick, 4 to 5 minutes.
3) Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot, and cook soup until heated through.
4) Top with cheddar cheese, chives, and bacon if desired. Serve immediately.
Nutritional Information:

6 servings

Amount per serving:

Calories:         268.7           

Fat:                     14g  

Carbs:              26.6g      
Fiber                  2.4g        

Protein:              9.9g 
Weight Watchers Points Plus Value: 7
Thoughts: This is a really good basic ham and potato soup recipe. I added in garlic and basil, and these made for a much more flavorful soup. But, oregano, thyme or even Italian seasoning could be experimented with as well. The only other thing I changed was to double the amount of ham. I just felt that one cup with that amount of liquid was a little on the sparse side. For all of these reasons, I give this soup recipe 4 hearty pins.
If you just hopped over here from Pinterest, Welcome! Feel free to check out any of the other recipes I have reviewed. And come back for another visit sometime soon. - Lynn
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