30 Minute Potato Cheddar Chowder
A Thick Potato and Cheese Soup
30 Minute Potato Cheddar Chowder Soup is misnamed, at least for me it is! laughing… Maybe it is the time from when the potatoes are cooked or something. It may be that I live at a higher elevation than most and my potatoes do not cook that fast. Whatever it is, this is a recipe I have had for many decades. When it is cold out, this is one of my first go-to recipes. It is easy to make and very satisfying.
A few notes: I tend to add a LOT more celery than the recipe. I am a celery-a-holic. I found that you can add half of the milk in the recipe one day when the bottle was low and the soup still turns out great. I am not sure how it would be leaving the milk out altogether and still adding cheese. (nose wrinkling at that) Without the milk and cheese, it would be a lovely potato soup, at least.
I sometimes add a shredded carrot and/or 1 clove or three of minced garlic. I thought about spinach. The trouble is homegrown spinach is very flavorful and may overpower the flavor of the soup. Then again, it could be a “new” soup with it added to the recipe. Have fun with the recipe in any way you wish.
The beauty of this soup is that you make as much or as little as you want. I had 14 small Yukon potatoes from the garden that needed to be eaten. It ended up making 5 days of soup for my husband and I. Adding a whole quart jar of our celery added to the bulk. laughing… If you have a couple of potatoes, a little celery, onion and some cheese, you can make just enough for one meal of cheddar chowder.
The bowl of soup shown does have a lot of pepper sprinkled on top. That is my bowl. (twinkle)
30 Minute Potato Cheddar Chowder
6+ potatoes, peeled & diced
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 onion, chopped
1-1/2 tsp salt
1 to 2 tsp pepper
1/4 cup flour
2 lbs cheddar cheese, shredded
Water
Milk
Add the first 5 ingredients to a large pot. Measure and add enough water to cover. Remember this amount. It is the amount of milk you will need to add later. I cover the pot and simmer until the potatoes are tender. It does cook the potatoes a tiny bit faster.
Spoon out some of the cooking liquid and let it cool a moment. Mix the flour with enough of the hot cooking liquid to mix smooth. Add the flour mixture to the vegetables and gently stir in well. Add the milk, blending in well. Hey! Remember the amount of milk that you needed? laughing… You could also mix the flour with a little of the cold milk you measured out, mixing it smooth. Then add that to the soup and the remaining milk. I do either and it works just fine.
Allow the soup to come back to a simmer, stirring often, until thickened. Stir in cheddar until the cheese is melted and blended through completely. Eat! ;D
We usually have my Italian Bread, slathered with butter. It works very well for sopping up the last of the soup in the bowl. It is also very good with cheese bread. One day I will make some and add the recipe.
I found when washing up, a half-paper towel with tepid water used first, then a non-scratching scouring pad in the bowls and pan, cleans the cheese up beautifully. You can go to warmer water once the cheese is gone. Yes, melted cheese is a booger to clean up. The soup is so good, it is worth it.
2 Comments
Bogie Priscilla
Hi Deb,
Can I make the cheddar soup and can it? I am going to buy the grinder for the vegetable soup. Do you have the recipe for garlic mushrooms the Faire sold? My daughter and I were going to pick vegetables, but it is too hot… The heat has won today, staying inside. Hugs, Bogie
debreena
No. It is not recommended to can soups with milk and/or cheese in them. I do know people that can those two items separately and safely, but the experts say no even to that. I have canned what was to become cream soups by leaving out the milk, flour and butter ingredients and canning the remaining soup mixture. When warming, I first melt the butter into browned flour (roux), then mix in the milk slowly. I then add the canned soup, gently combining it with the milk mixture. I cook over medium-low heat to gently thicken the soup, while giving it the final bit that makes them so yummy..
I also now leave out the meat and add it to soups separately, cooking the meat first before adding. Canned meat is okay, but found the soup is much better canned without it.
I never had the garlic mushrooms at Faire, just the Hammerhead coffee-espresso drink and the occasional beef-on-a-stick. I usually brought my own food, eating only organic/gmo-free. If you can describe them and how they were served, I bet I can figure out the recipe. ;D