Cheddar Potato Chowder

Cheddar Potato Chowder 5 pts for 1 cup

Ingredients
2 cups water
2 cups diced unpeeled red potatoes
1 cup diced carrot
1/2 cup diced celery
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups 2% milk
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
1 cup cubed fully cooked lean ham

Directions

In a Dutch oven, combine the first seven ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until tender.

Meanwhile, place flour in a large saucepan; gradually whisk in milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat. Add cheese; stir until melted. Stir the ham and the cheese sauce into undrained vegetables; stir until combined. Yield: 7 servings.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving (1 cup) equals 212 calories, 9 g fat (5 g saturated fat), 29 mg cholesterol, 847 mg sodium, 18 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 16 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 1 starch, 1 lean meat, 1 fat, 1/2 fat-free milk.

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Made April 17th. This recipe was pretty simple to make. I wondered if I really had to make the sauce in a separate pan though because I've made other sauce recipes right into the soup. I went ahead and did it the way it described though to stay true to the recipe this time. Next time I will probably not dirty the extra pan. I was impressed with how quickly it thickened though. It was the quickest and easiest I've ever experienced. I don't know if it was the 2% milk or the way I blended the flour in that made a difference. Or maybe it was my new pan. Who knows?!

I had a package of Four Cheese Mexican style in my fridge, so I used that instead of taking the time to shred the 2 cups of cheddar.

This recipe was a huge hit with Aaron (and me). It was really good!!