Laurel's Potato Soup

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients

• 4 cups diced potatoes
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 2/3 cup chopped onion
• 1 (15 1/4 ounce) can corn, drained
• 4 cups kitchen stock unsalted chicken stock, divided
• 2 2/3 cups fat-free half-and-half
• 1/3 cup land o' lakes light butter with canola oil, melted
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sodium-free instant chicken
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon colman's dry mustard
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup reduced-fat whipped cream cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 2 (12 ounce) packages hormel diced ham (optional)
• 1 (8 ounce) package sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 teaspoon six-pepper spice blend

Recipe

• 1 in a large pot, bring potatoes, celery and onion to a boil in 2 cups of broth. cook until potatoes are tender, 15 minutes. (i nuked the diced potatoes for six minutes before putting them in the pot.) drain and reserve liquid.
• 2 . saute ham in separate pan, if using. add mushrooms after ham has started to crisp.
• 3 combine reserved broth and half-and-half in pot. in a bowl, combine melted butter and flour. (i melted the butter in a measuring cup and added an equal amount of flour.) stir into half-and-half mixture over medium heat. stir until thickened. stir in reserved vegetables, ham & mushrooms (drain if watery), corn, remaining broth, instant chicken, parmesan, whipped cream cheese, and pepper. heat through and serve.
• 4 don't be afraid to play around with the ingredients and add more or less to taste. the cream cheese is sweet, so the parmesan & dry mustard balance it.