Mashed Potato Soup

 A few weeks ago I was blessed with the chance to spend some time with a couple of my college roommates.  It was so great to see them and catch up on life!  My junior-year roommate HeidiMichelle treated us all to a wonderful dinner of potato soup.  It was so delicious!  Some day in the future I will definitely have to blog it.  As she was telling me how she makes it, I was reminded of a soup I have made on occasion but have not yet posted—mashed potato soup.

While HeidiMichelle’s soup starts with fresh potatoes, I start this one with leftover mashed potatoes.  Consequently, there is no real recipe as your seasonings will depend on the mashed potatoes with which you start.  I started with a version of my Thanksgiving mashed potatoes, so I didn’t need a lot of extra seasoning.

If your mashed potatoes are really stiff like mine, you’ll want to put a little water in the bottom of the pot as you reheat them so they are less likely to burn.

I used frozen broccoli cuts.  Chopped broccoli would have been a little better for bite-sized pieces, but I was just using what I had on hand.  You can also use leftover sautéed broccoli or fresh broccoli that has been steamed.

If you want to include meat, bacon, sausage, or ham would work.  I used leftover ham, and it was excellent!!  You can also use the meat as a topping to stretch it (like I did here).  To make meatless mashed potato soup, simply omit the meat.

One important key to making this soup is to make sure you don’t let it boil after you’ve added the milk.  You don’t want the milk to curdle.  Of course, with my four kids running around and needing my attention, I often accidentally let it go to a slow boil.  It still tastes good, just doesn’t look as pretty.

Mashed Potato Soup

Water

Leftover mashed potatoes

Broccoli, leftover sautéed, frozen chopped, or fresh cut and cooked

Ham, bacon, or sausage, cooked and diced or chopped

Shredded cheese, cheddar or cheddar/jack blend

Milk

Salt and pepper, if necessary

Cover bottom of medium or large pan with water.  Add mashed potatoes.

Heat over medium, stirring often until water is incorporated and potatoes are thinned down and hot.  Stir in broccoli and ham.  Continue to heat until broccoli is no longer frozen.

Add a large handful or two of cheese; stir until melted.  Add milk, stirring thoroughly until desired consistency.

The soup will thicken as it cooks and sits.  Take care not to let the soup boil.  Add salt and pepper if needed.