Crockpot Potato and Ham Soup

It's after Christmas and New Years, and I have a ton of ham leftover. So I started making homemade ham and cheese hot pockets, BBQ sandwiches, and ham, egg, and cheese casseroles. And I still had ham left over. I started rummaging through my freezer and decided, based off of what I found, that I could finish off the rest of the ham by making this cold weather delight. 

It came out more like a chowder than a soup, but it was so good. I put in all the ingredients into my calorie counter, and I was surprised at how few calories went into a single serving {see note below}. It was filling enough that each person really only had one serving, and we were pleasantly full. I loved how easy it was to make this soup, and even better at how easy it was to clean up. 

If it is cold and raining where you are, like it is here where I am, this would be a great soup to help warm up your belly. 

Crockpot Potato and Ham Soup

Most of the ingredients.
This picture is excluding the Swanson's chicken broth, the chopped up ham, and the thyme. 

Ingredients: 

• 1 bag of Simply Potatoes Hashbrowns
• 1 family bag of Birds Eye Steam Fresh Asparagus, Gold and White Corn, and Baby Carrots 
• 1-2 cups chopped baked ham
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 3 tsp onion powder 
• 2 tsp dried basil
• 1 Tbsp dried marjoram
• 2 tsp dried thyme
• 2 tsp ground black pepper
• 4 cups fat free chicken broth
• 1 can {10 oz} Evaporated milk 

Directions: 

1. In a large crockpot, add the hashbrowns, frozen {don't cook in microwave} vegetables, chopped ham, chopped garlic, onion powder, spices, and broth. 
2. Cook on LOW 4-6 hours, on HIGH for 6-8 hours. Stir occasionally. 
3. The last 30 minutes, add the can of evaporated milk. Stir to mix well through the soup. 
4. When serving, feel free to top with shredded cheese, sour cream, or chives. 

This made enough for each member of my family to have two servings, which made 10 cups. Adding all this to my calorie counter, it came out to 155 calories per serving. {23 carbs, 4g fat, and 9g protein}

Quick, easy, and good. That's what I'm talking about. Let me know if you try it, and if you have suggestions of what else you would add to this. 

Happy eating.