Instant Pot Potato Soup

Missy Tippens

I made some really tasty soup this week--but of course didn't think to take photos until the very end. However, I still want to share the recipe!

I used this recipe as my guide-- from the Delish website. Click here.

But because of some dietary restrictions from one of our family members, I made little adjustments. Here's how I did our version...

In my Instant Pot, I used the sauté setting and cooked bacon (about 3 slices) and about half a bell pepper (I used an orange pepper). Then I added vegetable broth (I thought I was opening a box of chicken broth!). So since I didn't have the chicken flavor (and couldn't use bouillon cubes), I added some McCormick poultry seasoning. I also added some Italian seasoning since I couldn't use onion and garlic.

I peeled and cubed 6 potatoes and added them. Then I closed the Instant Pot and set it on high for 8 minutes.

Once it was done, I let it vent naturally for about 10 minutes and then released the pressure.

I set it back to the sauté setting and added the cornstarch slurry. I used lactose-free milk (no cream). It said to stir constantly during this phase so I was careful to do that. It thickened up nicely.

Also, it needed salt added!

The recipe recommends using an immersion blender but I don't have one (and don't plan to get one because of I know of two people who have been injured using them). So I used my hamburger/potato masher and it did a fine job! I don't mind some pieces of potato in mine.

We really enjoyed it! I did snap a photo of my daughter's bowl before it was gone. :) Not too pretty but so good. And it would have been great with shredded cheddar and some bacon on top!

www.missytippens.com

Potato and Ham Soup

A quick search on the Yankee Belle Cafe blog will show you that we love soups around here. Chowders, Stews, Chilies, Soups... If it's cold and snowy outside (or even just cloudy and cool), we're getting out our Crock Pots, Instant Pots, or Stew Pots and whipping up some comfort food.

As you can see by the title of this post, today is no exception!

After a very mild week or so before Christmas, we finally got the winter weather we've been expecting. On Wednesday, a storm blew through bringing high winds, c-c-cold weather, and a few inches of snow to our area. East of us, in "East River," they got the real blizzard. 10" - 12" of snow, plus the cold and high winds.

One of my favorite pictures from last winter - we haven't been up
to the Hills since October!

At our house, cold weather means a fire in the wood stove and soup. We had some ham and potatoes, so I decided to try this recipe for my Instant Pot (no worries - you can easily fix it in your slow cooker or on top of the stove.)

Potato and Ham Soup
serves 8 - 10

ingredients:

6 - 8 medium russet or Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed (about 8 cups)
4 stalks celery, chopped (about 2 cups)
4 carrots, chopped (about 2 cups)
1 cup frozen or canned corn (optional)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tablespoons finely minced onion
1 pound ham, cubed
3 cups broth - ham, chicken, or vegetable
1 teaspoon rosemary
salt and pepper to taste

To add at the end of the cooking time: 2 cups whole milk or 1 cup half and half, 1 cup milk. And if you like your soup a bit thick and "chowdery," whisk a quarter cup of flour into the milk before adding it in.

*note: if you're using a slow cooker, add the rosemary and salt and pepper at the end of the cooking time.

Put the potatoes, vegetable, garlic, onion, ham, and broth in your pot and stir to combine.

Instant Pot: Lock the lid and set to cook on high pressure for 10 minutes (allow 30 minutes or so for the pot to come to pressure.) Let the pressure release naturally (about 15-20 minutes.) Switch the pot to the high slow cooker setting, then add the milk. Stir to combine and let it cook for another 10 minutes.

Slow Cooker: Cook on low for 8-10 hours, or high for 6 hours. Add the rosemary, salt, pepper, and milk, and stir to combine. Cook on high for another 30 minutes.

Stove top: Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to simmer and let it cook for at least an hour. Add the milk and bring back to temperature (close to boiling, but not quite.)

That's it! Serve with your favorite toppings and some good bread, and I guarantee you'll feel warm all night. :-)

Are soups a part of your winter menu like they are for me?

Jan Drexler lives in the Black Hills of South Dakota with her husband and growing family. When she isn't writing, she loves hiking in the Hills or satisfying her cross stitch addiction.

You can find Jan on Facebook, Jan Drexler, author, or her website, Jan Drexler.com.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Well, November is turning out to be delightfully chilly here on the coastal plains of Texas. Okay, so we were close to 90 early last week, but since then, the cold fronts seem to keep coming and I couldn't be happier. 

Here's a chuckle for you. The weatherman says our fifty-some degree highs are winter temperatures in our area, not fall. Winter, fall... I don't really care, as long as they stick around for a while, because I'm happily welcoming all of these cold weather foods back into my meal rotation. Like a hearty Loaded Baked Potato Soup.

This soup is a crowd pleaser. It’s warm, delicious... Perfect for a chilly day.

Here's what you'll need:

• 4 large baking potatoes
• 2/3 cup butter
• 2/3 cup all purpose flour
• 6 cups milk
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 generous cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 10 bacon slices, cooked and chopped
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 8 oz. sour cream

We’ll start with the star of this dish, the potatoes.

Gently scrub them, then prick several times with a fork and bake at 400 degrees for 40-60 minutes or until yielding when lightly squeezed. When done, set aside until cool enough to handle. Then slice in half lengthwise and scoop insides into a bowl, reserving or discarding skins.

**Mindy's tip #1: If you have leftover baked potatoes, this is the perfect way to use them up. Best of all, they’re already baked.

**Mindy's tip #2: The leftover potato skins make the perfect appetizer. Simply fill them with grated cheese and pop them into the oven until the cheese is melted. Then top the cheese with bacon, sour cream, chili, whatever you like.

Now on with the show.

Melt butter in a Dutch oven over low heat. Once completely melted, add flour and stir until smooth.

Using a whisk will ensure there are no lumps.

Cook butter/flour mixture for one minute, stirring constantly, then gradually add your milk.

Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and bubbly, 5-10 minutes.

Stir in potato, salt and pepper, cheese, bacon and 2 tablespoons green onions.

Cook over medium-low heat until heated through. 

Stir in sour cream and cook just until heated. Do not boil.

Sprinkle servings with additional cheese, bacon and green onions, if desired.

Yum! Just look at those chunks of potato.

Pretty easy, huh? Sure, it takes a little time, but the results are worth it. Bake your potatoes ahead of time, though, and you’re half way there. Cook your bacon in advance, and you’re even closer. By the way, I recommend using real, home-cooked bacon for this recipe. Jarred/bagged bacon bits simply aren’t the same. Trust me.

This cooler weather has me eager for the holidays. Actually, I've been looking forward to them all year. Last year at this time, we were still living in the camphouse while we waited for renovations to be completed on the big house. Since we didn't move in until December 15th, I didn't have the opportunity to savor the holidays. This year, Lord willing, I want to sit back and appreciate this blessed season and all the fun, chaos and merriment that goes along with it. And the sooner the better.

Now it's your turn. What are some of your favorite cold-weather dishes? And what are you looking forward to most this holiday season?

Three-time Carol Award finalist, Mindy Obenhaus lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, the youngest of her five children and two dogs. She's passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. When she’s not writing, she enjoys cooking and spending time with her grandchildren. Learn more at www.MindyObenhaus.com 

Creamy Potato Soup

Jan here, newly returned from a trip east. We visited family, I did some research and talked with some readers, we had a tour of Baker Publishing in Grand Rapids, Michigan... in short, it was a great trip!

When we arrived home yesterday afternoon, we had driven more than 2400 miles, spent 44+ hours in the car, weathered heavy rain in Michigan, heavy snow between Sioux City and Sioux Falls...and we were ready to be HOME!

When the Black Hills appeared on the horizon, we breathed a sigh of relief.

BUT, then comes the perennial question: What's for supper?

This is one of those times when I was glad for my pantry!

Creamy Potato Soup

ingredients:

1/2 onion, diced small
1/2 cup butter
6-8 medium potatoes (I used reds - so sweet and creamy!)
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup milk
1/4 - 1/2 cup flour (depending on how thick you like your soup)
1 cup heavy whipping cream
seasonings: garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste

I fixed this soup in my Instant Pot, but you can easily cook it on top of the stove or in your slow cooker.

Melt the butter in your pan (in a separate pan if using your slow cooker), then saute the onion until it's transparent.

Meanwhile, wash and cube the potatoes.

Add the potatoes, chicken broth, and seasonings to the pot. Cook until the potatoes are tender.
(I cooked the soup for 5 minutes in the Instant Pot, then used the natural pressure release - about 40 minutes total.)

Whisk the flour into 1 cup milk until well blended. Add to the soup. Heat, stirring occasionally, until the soup is thickened.

About 3-5 minutes before serving, add the 1 cup cream. Taste and add more seasonings if desired.

It was a delicious homecoming meal!

What meal welcomes you home?

Potato Ham Chowder from Leftovers

Jan here, celebrating the change in our weather!

We've had a hot, dry summer, but for the past couple weeks the temperatures have moderated to more normal number (mid-80's for August), and the sky is taking on that deeper blue of late summer. As the equinox approaches (only a month away!), our days are shortening quickly - we're losing a minute of sunlight on each end, making today two minutes shorter than yesterday. Eventually my husband will be driving to work and back in the dark and the storms will be blowing in from the north.

Wait! Don't bring winter on too soon! Autumn is just beginning!

And with autumn comes soups and stews.

Do I hear an "amen?"

True to my frugal upbringing (having parents who grew up during the depression and an Amish ancestry will do that), many of my soups and stews are made from leftovers.

The children with Grandma and Grandpa...many
years ago!

When the children were young, the soups were quite often tomato based. I'd break up the leftover meatloaf, add the leftover veggies I kept in a margarine container in the freezer, use the leftover boiled potatoes from the same night as the meatloaf, add a can of tomato sauce, and some beef broth, and we'd have vegetable beef soup. It was almost free!

That's the kind of cooking we lived on back then, and it was delicious. Especially when I added a loaf of homemade bread!

Then came the teen years. You remember those, right? Leftovers are a distant memory.

Well, guess what?The teens have changed into adults, most are out of the house, and we have leftovers again!

Over the weekend, I had fun making this chowder from the leftovers in the fridge...

Potato Ham Chowder

ingredients:

1) leftover potatoes - I had made pot roast last week, and when I got the potatoes from the pantry, I found that they were on their last legs. So I cooked all of them with the roast. The leftovers sat in the fridge for a couple days, waiting for the weekend.

2) leftover ham - After Christmas, I cut the leftover ham into bite-size pieces for future soups, and stored containers in the freezer. I used the last one for this soup.

3) leftover chicken broth - I love cooking chicken in my instant pot for my lunch. A chicken breast or a leg quarter with a salad on the side makes a delicious, quick meal. But then I have broth left over! I keep a container in the freezer and add to it whenever I have chicken for lunch. So I had about 4 cups of broth in the freezer, waiting for soup.

4) seasonings - I would normally add onions and other seasonings like thyme or tarragon, but I had already added those seasonings to my chicken broth. It was a delicious hodge-podge. I did add some garlic powder and a bit of salt and pepper.

Put everything in the crock pot and let it cook for about 4 hours on high, 6 -8 hours on low. Since all the ingredients are already cooked, you're letting the flavors meld together into blissful deliciousness. :)

Before serving, add some milk. You can use fresh milk, or cream, or a can of evaporated milk (which I did). 

If you want your liquid to be thick - more like gravy - whisk about a quarter cup of flour into the milk before adding it to the pot, and keep cooking the soup until it thickens.

Hubby opted for thick chowder rather than soupy.

But for a true frugal Amish wife chowder, the liquid should be soupy and creamy.

Don't you love nearly-free meals?

Back to the weather! I think I said last week that this time of year is our favorite in the Hills, with the tourists thinning out and the temps cooling down. We took advantage of this to head into the Hills last week for one of our favorite hikes.

This hike is called the Iron Mountain Loop. It starts from a picnic area along the Iron Mountain Road and heads into the Black Elk Wilderness Area. 

Beautiful views!

We started the hike early in the morning, so we were treated to sightings of white tail deer (a rare sighting around here - the mule deer are much more common) and a lot of chipmunks. And even this guy!

The sunlight was gorgeous.

We finished the seven mile hike well before noon.

The first time we did this hike (six years ago), we were exhausted and sore at the end of it. This time? Well, regular hiking pays off. We could have done another couple miles...although we were ready for lunch and a rest, first.

We can never get enough of these Hills!

BUT! The big news today is the ECLIPSE! We aren't in the area that will see the total eclipse, but almost. 96% is huge! So I'll be out watching it around lunch time...along with tons of other people.

Are you in the path of the eclipse? Or is it a non-event for you?

Jan Drexler loves her family, her home, cooking and just about anything made by hand. But she loves her Lord most of all.

Stop by Jan's website to learn more about her books: www.JanDrexler.com

Mary Connealy's Potato Soup!!!!

POTATO SOUP

Perfect for a cold winter day

First the recipe...............I don't have one..........let me wing it here.

1 lb hamburger

2 cups water

1 onion

1 Bag 'O Spices (look at the picture)

Cumin

Fennel

Paprika

Garlic Power

Rosemary

Tumeric

Thyme

Lawry Season Salt

Any amount of these, I love them all and they're yummy let's say 1/2 teaspoon or to taste

3 potatoes (more of less to suit yourself peeled chopped

1 lg container beef broth

3 C Milk

NOW PICTURES

Pour water over raw hamburger and mix the hamburger and water together. (I use my hands)

Turn the heat on medium high. I actually turn it on high but I burn almost everything, so take that for what it's worth.

 One onion diced--at this point I usually use fresh garlic too, but I'm out

I keep Garlic Powder on hand.

Add diced onion to hamburger/water mixture and stir (I'm not using my hands anymore, it's hot. I switch over to a SPOON.

Here's what I call my Bag 'O Spices. I do this because My Cowboy cooks a LOT around here, God bless him. And he isn't too into spices, he just doesn't know what they all mean. So I bagged up the spices I use in soups and he can just drag the bag out and start dumping.

Here's what I used in the potato soup. I am particularly fond of Fennel Seed and Turmeric. They just have an unusual and luscious flavor.

I sprinkle, I don't measure. Unless you're dumping high powered pepper in or go nuts with too much salt, you really can't do this wrong. (I may be underestimating some of you!)

3 potatoes, note the size, this does NOT MATTER. If you've got a crowd or a bunch of kids add six or eight potatoes, this is how you stretch the soup, extra  milk makes it plentiful, too.

I quartered the potatoes the long way. This also does NOT MATTER,

 but Ruthy wanted pictures so here you go.

I think last time I made this I left the potato skins on

but I went on auto-pilot and started peeling.

Then aftet you've quartered them, turn the cutting board sideways and rough chop them.

Dump the potatoes into the steaming meat/water/spice/onion concoction.

This is going to smell so great!

Mix the potatoes in and add a lg container of beef broth. This might not be necessary. The broth on the hamburger might be enough if you added MORE water to it at the beginning but we like lots of broth. Let this simmer. The trick here is  the ROSEMARY. I have a plant but I used dried today because my plant is getting too cut back and it needs to grow a while and I had the little container of Rosemary...but these little spikes of lusciousness are HARD. They need time to tenderize. Get them in early and let the soup simmer until the rosemary and potatoes are tender and the flavors blend.

I let mine simmer for about an hour,

but if you don't have time, at least long enough for the potatoes to cook.

Just before the meal, pour in milk. I used three or four cups. How nutritious is this, huh?

Let the soup warm through.

Ladle into bowls. I added Lawry's Season Salt but no other salt and you may need to salt and pepper to taste but I let everyone do that on their own.

And by EVERYONE I mean My Cowboy, he likes TOO MUCH PEPPER!!!

Embrace the savory joy!

GRATUITOUS FINN PICTURE!!!!!

How stinkin' cute is he???? I bet he'd love Mary's soup!!!