Vegetable Broth – Page 2

Ham and Potato Soup

This ham and potato soup is creamy but not too heavy and loaded with fresh veggies and salty ham. It’s perfect for the seasonal transition!

The post Ham and Potato Soup appeared first on Budget Bytes.

These hot and cold spring days have me feeling all kinds of confused about what to make for dinner. One day it’s warm and sunny, and the next it feels like winter all over again. But no matter the mood, I feel like soup is always the right answer, and this Ham and Potato Soup is a crowd pleaser. Creamy but not too heavy, and loaded with fresh veggies and salty ham, this soup is perfect for this transitional season!

a ladleful of ham and potato soup suspended over a pot of soup.

What is Ham and Potato Soup?

This rich and creamy soup is made from a base of vegetable broth enriched with milk and butter and stuffed to the brim with fresh veggies, chunky potatoes, and salty ham. It’s real belly-warming food, perfect for taking the chill off!

Here’s what you’ll need to make ham and potato soup:

Oil: I used olive oil, but a neutral-flavored oil like canola or vegetable oil will also work well.
Mirepoix: A base of celery, carrots, and onion builds the flavor of this soup.
Potatoes: I used 2 medium potatoes, which came out to be 3 1/2 cups once diced. I prefer to peel my potatoes for this recipe, but you can leave the skins on if you like them!
Cooked Ham: You can buy a ham steak or use your leftover ham from our Baked Ham recipe! Vegetarian? No problem. You can leave out the ham and this becomes more of a vegetable chowder and it is delicious!
Vegetable Broth: You’ll need 6 cups, or you can dissolve 2 Tbsp of vegetable bouillon in 6 cups of water. You can also use Chicken Broth if that’s what you have on hand!
Salted Butter: Adds richness and helps form the roux that thickens the soup.
All-Purpose Flour: Combines with the butter to form a roux that thickens the soup.
Milk: Adds creaminess to the soup.
Salt and Pepper: Enhance the overall flavor of the soup.
Parsley: A bit of minced fresh parsley adds some color and freshness to the soup.

What Potatoes Are Best For Soup?

The best potato for any given soup really depends on the texture you’re after.

With this soup, I wanted to keep distinct chunks of intact potato, so I went for red potatoes. Other varieties that hold their shape well include new potatoes, baby potatoes, and fingerlings.
If you’re looking for your potatoes to soften up a bit more but still mostly hold their shape, Yukon Golds are a great choice for this soup.
Starchier potatoes, like Russets, will melt into the soup, making it super thick, but you won’t get the whole potato texture in every bite.

You may not need any salt depending on the ham you’re using, so taste often and adjust as you see fit. Between the salted butter, bouillon, and the ham from our Baked Ham recipe, I didn’t have a need for more than a pinch of additional salt.

How Do You Thicken Ham and Potato SOup?

I chose to thicken this soup with what’s known as a “blonde roux.” It’s a mixture of butter and flour that is cooked over medium-low heat until it juuust starts to change color from white to blonde. This deepens the flavor of the soup without overpowering the natural flavor of the other ingredients.

Ham and Potato Soup

This ham and potato soup is creamy but not too heavy and loaded with fresh veggies and salty ham. It's perfect for the seasonal transition!

Course Dinner, Main Course, Soup

Cuisine American

Total Cost $11.24 recipe / $1.40 serving

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 40

Total Time 1

Servings (1.5 cups each)

Calories 212kcal

Author Jess Rice

Equipment

Dutch Oven

Ingredients

2 Tbsp olive oil $0.34
2 carrots, peeled and diced $0.20
3 stalks celery, diced $0.30
1 small white onion, diced $1.02
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced (roughly 3½ cups) $1.66
6 cups vegetable broth $0.53
2 cups cooked diced ham $6.38
2 Tbsp salted butter $0.24
1/4 cup all-purpose flour $0.05
2 cups milk $0.38
2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley $0.08
1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper $0.05
Salt, to taste $0.01

Instructions

In the stock pot, add 2 Tbsp olive oil on medium heat. Add the carrots, celery, and onion and cook down until slightly softened and the onions are nice and glossy, about 5 minutes.
Add potatoes, vegetable broth, and ham in the stockpot. Bring the pot to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down to medium and let the potatoes simmer for about 15 minutes, or until they are tender. Stir in the pepper.
Melt the butter in a separate medium-size saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in the all-purpose flour until smooth. Cook for about 1 minute. (Note: this is a “blonde roux” so you don’t want the flour to toast too much!) Whisk in milk and cook for about 4 minutes until thick and warm.
Pour milk/roux mixture into the stockpot with ham soup and whisk to combine. Cook until all vegetables reach desired tenderness and soup thickens to your liking, another 10 minutes should do it. Add the parsley, additional salt and pepper if needed and enjoy!

See how we calculate recipe costs here.

Notes

This makes 12 cups of soup, but we found 1 1/2 cups to be perfect for a meal, so if that’s your serving size, you can serve 8 people.

Nutrition

overhead view of ham and potato soup in a white dutch oven.

how to make Ham and Potato Soup – step by step photos

chopped celery, carrots, and onions in s white dutch oven.

In your stock pot, add 2 Tbsp olive oil on medium heat. Add 2 peeled and diced carrots, 3 diced stalks celery, and 1 diced small white onion and cook down until slightly softened and the onions are nice and glossy, about 5 minutes.

broth poured over mirepoix, potatoes, and ham in a dutch oven.

Add 2 peeled and diced potatoes, 6 cups vegetable broth, and 2 cups diced cooked ham in the stockpot. Bring to a boil; simmer over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in your 1 tsp black pepper.

milk poured over butter and flour paste in a frying pan with a whisk.

Melt 2 Tbsp salted butter in a separate medium-size saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in 1/4 cup all-purpose flour until smooth. Cook for about 1 minute. (Note: this is a “blonde roux” so you don’t want the flour to toast too much!) Whisk in 2 cups milk and cook for about 4 minutes until thick and warm.

Pour milk/roux mixture into the stockpot with ham soup and whisk to combine. Cook until all vegetables reach desired tenderness and soup thickens to your liking, another 10 minutes should do it. Add parsley, additional salt, and pepper if needed and enjoy!

overhead view of a spoonful of ham and potato soup suspended above a serving of soup in a white bowl.

This creamy ham and potato soup is perfect for the changing seasons!

Parmesan Risotto

Creamy Parmesan risotto is comfort food at its finest! Warm, rich, and cheesy, this dish is a perennial favorite.

The post Parmesan Risotto appeared first on Budget Bytes.

Creamy Parmesan risotto is comfort food at its finest! Warm, rich, and cheesy, this dish is a perennial favorite. It’s loaded with belly-filling Arborio rice and Parmesan cheese to keep you full and satisfied for under $10. What could be better?!

overhead view of a wooden spoon in a pan of parmesan risotto.

What is Parmesan Risotto?

Risotto is a magical dish created by slow-cooking starchy rice in broth. Part of the magic is how the rice leeches its starches into the liquid, creating a creamy and rich sauce. This is achieved by adding the broth slowly over a longer period of time and stirring continuously. Most risotto has cheese, and we love Parmesan, so it felt like a natural choice for this Parmesan risotto recipe!

Here’s what you’ll need to make Parmesan risotto:

Vegetable Broth: We used Better than Bouillon to cut costs. You can also substitute chicken broth if you prefer.
Dry White Wine: We used a mini chardonnay Bota Box for this recipe, but white cooking wine also works well. If you don’t have white wine on hand, just up your recipe to 5 cups of vegetable broth.
Olive Oil: Helps cook the onion without burning it. You can use canola or vegetable oil to cut costs.
Yellow Onion: Adds a sweet and earthy flavor to the risotto.
Arborio Rice: An Italian, short-grain rice that has a high starch content, perfect for making risotto.
Butter: Salted or unsalted is fine, you will just need to adjust any additional salt based on whatever butter you have on hand. We used unsalted butter.
Salt and Pepper: Enhance the overall flavor of this risotto.
Parmesan Cheese: Provides the majority of the flavor of this dish. We do not recommend using pre-shredded cheese for this recipe. Shred yours fresh!
Parsley: Adds a pop of freshness and color.

What Else Can I Add to Parmesan Risotto?

This Parmesan risotto is great as is, but you can also make it your own by experimenting with additional ingredients. Try adding:

Sauteed mushrooms
Frozen peas
Frozen corn kernels
Cherry tomatoes
Ricotta cheese
Crushed red pepper flakes

This recipe requires few ingredients, but it is a labor of love! You don’t want to pour all of the broth in at once, because then you will just have regular boiled rice. Your rice will slowly absorb the liquid and become super creamy if you take your time and follow the directions. Risotto shouldn’t take you much longer than 20 minutes from start to finish. As you can see in the photos, we used up all of the veggie broth, so be patient and watch the magic happen!
Risotto is traditionally enjoyed “al dente” with a little chew left to it.
Typically, we don’t use wine on Budget Bytes because it tends to hike the grocery bill up and, if you don’t imbibe, you will have a lot leftover and therefore a lot of waste. This is definitely a special date night recipe, so we say you splurge for the wine and enjoy yourselves!
If you are vegan or just dairy-free, you can definitely make risotto with vegan butter or margarine and omit the Parmesan cheese.

What to Serve with Parmesan Risotto

We love serving risotto with sauteed asparagus and fresh herbs. It’s also fantastic with sauteed or balsamic roasted mushrooms. YUM!

Parmesan Risotto

Creamy Parmesan risotto is comfort food at its finest! Warm, rich, and cheesy, this dish is a perennial favorite.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Total Cost $7.97 recipe / $1.99 serving

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 35

Total Time 40

Servings

Calories 454kcal

Author Jess Rice