Ham, Potato, and Broccoli Soup and Creamy Ham and Noodle Casserole

Colder temperatures have definitely arrived! Yesterday was a cold and blustery day, and today is a crisp clear fall day, definitely good weather for warm comfort foods! The past couple of weeks I have been making plenty of soups, stews, and casseroles, today I thought I would share two yummy recipes.

I love having little half hams in my refrigerator, I dice them up and turn them into a couple of meals. Last week I made half of a little ham into a Creamy Ham and Noodle Casserole, and the other half into a Ham, Potato, and Broccoli Soup. They were both delicious!

Creamy Ham and Noodle Casserole is a great, easy to prepare weeknight meal. Here's the recipe.

Cook, and drain a box of Pasta, I used Farfalle (bow-tie), you could also use shells or even macaroni, whatever pasta you have on hand.

Mix in to pasta- 1 can cream of mushroom soup, 1 can milk, 1 cup (rounded) of shredded cheddar or cheddar jack cheese, 1 cup frozen green peas (you can add more if you like),  about a cup and a half of diced fully cooked ham. Salt and pepper to taste. Stir together.

Pour out into a greased casserole dish, top with a sprinkling of shredded cheese, cover with foil or a casserole lid and bake at 350 F. until bubbly about half an hour, then remove lid and let the top crisp up for about five minutes if you like.

This meal is good all by itself or with your favorite casserole side dishes.

The next day I used the rest of the ham in this delicious meal, Ham, Potato, and Broccoli Soup.

Ham, Potato, & Broccoli Soup

Into a soup pot add-
1 carton of chicken broth (32 oz.)
1 cleaned and chopped bunch of celery
1 large chopped onion
8-10 cleaned, peeled, and cubed red potatoes ( I like to leave a little skin on the potatoes for color)
1-2 cloves of pressed or finely minced garlic
1 1/2 cups small cubes of fully cooked ham
and about 2-3 cups of water to cover veggies
Salt and pepper to taste

Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer for at least a couple of hours until veggies are all cooked through, add more water if necessary during cooking and stir often to make sure potatoes don't stick to the bottom. When the potatoes, onions, and celery are cooked through, add a bag of frozen chopped broccoli, and about half a cup of milk to one cup of milk. Continue cooking soup for about another hour until broccoli is cooked through, check seasoning and add more salt and pepper to taste.

Serve soup with a sprinkle of cheddar blend shredded cheese and a small pat of butter, and a slice of sourdough or french bread. I love adding a small pat of butter to the top of my potato soups and chowders, it definitely adds a delicious extra flavor.

This week I am busy getting my fall organizing done in preparation for my sister's baby shower I am hosting this weekend, as well as the upcoming holidays. I am very excited about the upcoming holiday season, and looking forward to all of the fun holiday preparations and extra family time! Hope everyone stays warm in all this chilly weather! :)

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