Baked Potato Soup

I made this soup the week after Easter when I was trying to find ways to use up some leftover ham.  My plan was to post this recipe right after making it in case some of you were also dealing with excess ham :)  Obviously, that didn't happen.  By now, you've probably eaten all of it or it has gone bad.  But just in case you froze some, this recipe is a super delicious and relatively healthy way to make a "baked potato" soup.  It's actually loaded with cauliflower and gets its creamy texture from being pureed.  There is some cheese added, but no cream or milk.  I concocted this recipe from a couple different places and adjusted them to fit what I had on hand, so it's sort of an original recipe.  Here it is!

Baked Potato (and Cauliflower) Soup


1 to 1.5 lbs potatoes - peeled and chopped
1 head cauliflower - cut into florets
4 T. olive oil - divided
2 T. butter
1 onion - chopped
4 cloves garlic - minced
4-5 stalks celery - chopped
4 c. chicken broth
1/2 cup cream cheese - I used some leftover mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup shredded cheddar (plus a little extra for topping)
1 to 1 1/2 cup chopped ham
3-4 green onions, chopped
salt and pepper

Not pictured: the ham and the cream cheese. oops!

Preheat the oven to 450 deg.  Toss the potatoes with 2 T olive oil and season with some salt and pepper.  Spread on a rimmed baking sheet and roast for 15 min.  While the potatoes are roasting, toss the chopped cauliflower with the remaining 2 T olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Add the cauliflower to the potatoes that have been roasting, and cook for another 25 min.  Stir the potatoes and cauliflower a couple times while roasting.  Remove from the oven when they are soft and golden brown.

Towards the end of the roasting time, melt the butter in a large stock pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add the onions, celery and garlic and cook until tender and translucent, about 6 minutes.

Add the roasted veggies and the chicken stock to the pot, season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil.  Simmer for about 10 min.

Then either using an immersion blender, or a regular blender, puree the soup until smooth.  If using a regular blender then just puree the soup in batches and return to the pot once it is all done.  Turn the heat to medium-low.

  Add the cheddar and the cream cheese to the pureed soup and whisk to combine and melt the cheese.

Add the chopped ham and green onions.  Stir together, then serve!

I hope I didn't leave out any important steps.  That's really the first time that I haven't been able to copy a recipe from another source.  Feel free to adjust it to what you like or have on hand!  I'd say this would serve 6-8 people.  Enjoy!