Yes, I did say “skinny” ham & potato soup!! Ok, so I haven’t calculated the calories and it’s definitely still starchy since it has white potatoes in it. BUT…it has NO butter, NO canned cream of anything, NO cream or half & half, and NO flour (so, this recipe is gluten free). Awesome, right?! And, for an added healthy twist, there is a “secret” ingredient that helps with the creaminess! Any guesses? 
Yum!!! Doesn’t it look good?! Even without the traditionally creamy ingredients, it’s still super tasty (and creamy). Everyone in the house gobbles this right up! And, it’s full of veggies too because the secret ingredient is cauliflower!! Just like with my veggie-packed marinara sauce, I’ve been trying to add in more vegetables to recipes wherever I can. Adding pureed cauliflower in the soup is amazing because it doesn’t really alter the flavor, but adds some great nutrients and creamy texture! Now, I keep bags of frozen cauliflower on hand just to sneak into recipes like this! 
I love how easy this is to make too! With the exception of pureeing the cauliflower, there are no extra dishes. Everything just goes straight into the crock pot! This also makes a great freezer meal. You can freeze the ham, vegetables and broth together in a baggie. Then, when you’re ready to cook the soup, you just add the baggie contents in with the fresh potatoes and few other ingredients. If you’re already chopping the vegetables and ham anyway, might as well just do some extra and have a meal mostly prepped for another time!
Here’s the recipe:
Skinny Slow Cooker Ham & Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 6-7 C diced potatoes
- 1 medium sweet onion chopped
- 2 C ham chopped
- 1-2 C celery diced
- 1-2 C carrots chopped
- 3 C chicken broth
- 3-4 C cauliflower
- 2 C milk
- *optional:
- 4-8 oz cream cheese for added creaminess
- shredded cheese for topping
Instructions
- Chop/dice vegetables and meat. You'll need at least 3-4+ large russet potatoes or 5-8+ red potatoes (depending on size). Wash & peel those; then dice (the smaller the chunks, the faster the cooking time).
- Add potatoes to the slow cooker. Then, add the chopped ham, celery, carrots, and onion.
- Pour the chicken broth over the mixture and cook on high for 2-4 hours or low for 6-8. Check the tenderness of the potatoes.
- Once the potatoes are fork tender, cook the cauliflower (I just use a bag of frozen cauliflower & cook the microwave). While the cauliflower cooks, use a potato masher to mash the potatoes in the crock pot.
- Add the cooked cauliflower & 1/2 C water or milk to a blender/food processor and puree.
- Add the cauliflower puree and 2 C of milk to the slower cooker. Stir until combined. Let cook an additional 10-20 minutes and serve!
Notes
*If you like a "thinner" soup, add an extra cup of milk or broth. If you'd like it creamier, try adding half a brick (approximately 4 oz) of cream cheese when you add the cauliflower puree.
*For the cauliflower puree, I buy a small bag of frozen cauliflower florets (usually 12-16 ounces). I use the whole bag & cook in the microwave. It makes about 2 cups of cauliflower puree.
*If you have ham broth, I would switch out about half of the chicken broth and replace with the ham broth for more ham taste.
Enjoy!!
