Ham and Sweet Potato Soup

Ingredients

• 5 cups chicken stock
• 3 1/2 cups peeled and diced sweet potatoes
• 3/4 cup diced cooked ham
• 1/3 cup diced celery
• 1/3 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped carrot
• 1/4 cup corn
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoons butter
• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk
• 3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

Combine chicken stock, sweet potatoes, ham, celery, and onion in a stockpot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook until sweet potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir green bell pepper, carrot, corn, garlic, basil, parsley flakes, black pepper, and salt into soup and simmer until vegetables are softened, 5 to 10 minutes.

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat; whisk flour into butter using a fork. Cook and stir mixture until thickened, about 1 minute. Slowly stir milk into butter-flour mixture until completely smooth; continue cooking and stirring over medium-low heat until thickened, 4 to 5 more minutes. Stir Cheddar cheese into milk mixture until melted and smooth.

Stir milk-Cheddar cheese mixture into soup; cook until thickened and heated through, about 5 minutes.