This time of the year, I am all about comfort foods and one thing that I love to have for dinner is a bowl of soup served with a loaf of crusty bread. This Ham & Potato Soup is a favorite at my house--even Lucas loves it. It is perfectly seasoned, creamy, and delicious. Best of all, since there is no actual cream in the soup, it is also surprisingly low in calories and fat. Oh, and it is very quick and easy to make!


Ingredients
3 1/2 cups peeled and diced potatoes
1/3 cup diced celery
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
3/4 cup diced cooked ham
3 1/4 cups water
2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
5 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups 2% milk {or whatever type of milk you like}
1/4 cup of chopped parsley

Directions
1. Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, ham and water in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the chicken bouillon, salt, and pepper.
2. In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook, whisking constantly until thick, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in milk as not to allow lumps to form 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 it comes to a simmer and is heated through. Serve immediately and top with chopped parsley.

NOTES:
The key to this soup is to not overcook the potatoes. You want them to be tender, but not mushy or falling apart.
Also, the milk mixture should get really thick--like the consistency of an alfredo sauce or pudding.