Cheesy Potato Chowder

I can't say enough about this soup. It's so easy. It's delicious. It's versatile and will help you use up veggies from your Bountiful Basket. It's easy to cut in half, but the leftovers are so good, don't bother. I found it in my "Big Book of Soup" cookbook by Taste of Home and I've made it about a million times since then. The original recipe calls for carrots, but it's also wonderful with broccoli. I'm convinced you could add just about any vegetable you wanted to and it would still work great. Just be sure to add different vegetables at the right time so they don't get overcooked. For example, carrots and potatoes both take a long time to cook, but broccoli doesn't, so when I use broccoli I add it when the potatoes have about 5 minutes left. The original recipe also calls for salt, but I think the processed cheese and bacon make it salty enough, so I omit it.

 

Cheesy Potato Chowder 

10 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed 

3 carrots, diced 

2 (14 1/2 oz.) cans chicken broth

1 lb. processed cheese (Velveeta), cubed 

1 tsp. dill weed 

1/4 tsp. pepper 

1/2 lb. bacon, diced and cooked

3 c. milk

In a large saucepan or dutch oven, bring potatoes, carrots, and chicken broth to a boil and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. Add the cheese, dill weed, and pepper. Cook and stir until cheese is melted. Add bacon and milk. Heat through.