WW Recipe Makeover: Creamy Ham & Potato Soup
Help Me Make this AllRecipes.com recipe for Delicious Ham & Potato Soup, Lighter, Healthier and More Weight Watchers friendly and be entered in a drawing for a $50 Amazon Gift Card!!! (This giveaway is now over)
Image Source: AllRecipes
This recipe for Ham and Potato Soup from AllRecipes.com showed up in my inbox as a "Recent Favorite." It's got a 5 Star Rating and over 10,000 Reviews!
AllRecipes is by far the biggest and most popular recipe website on the internet. It's a great resource for easy, tasty, family favorite recipes.
I use it all the time and if you're a cook, there's a good chance you do to.
To achieve lasting Weight Loss Success, you need to tweak the way you eat slowly and steadily in a way that doesn't disrupt your life and family too much.
Seeking out lighter healthier Weight Watchers friendly recipes from sites like Simple Nourished Living can helpful.
But, even more helpful and sustainable for the long-term is learning to lighten up your own family favorite recipes!
So, I thought it would be helpful to take some popular recipes from AllRecipes.com and ask our readers to leave comments making suggestions on how they would make them lighter, healthier and more Weight Watchers friendly.
Delicious Ham & Potato Soup Recipe (AllRecipes)
This delicious recipe for ham and potato soup looks pretty easy, calls for basic ingredients and can be adapted lots of different ways.
According the recipe's notes, it makes 8 servings at 195 calories each, which isn't terrible.
This video shows how to make AllRecipe's Ham and Potato Soup:
Question: What would you do to this recipe to make it lighter, healthier and lower in SmartPoints?
Suggestions from our Readers:
- Substitute lighter milk (skim, fat-free, 1%) or nondairy milk (almond, coconut, soy)
- Substitute olive oil or light butter for butter
- Decrease or eliminate butter
- Substitute Canadian bacon, turkey ham or low-sodium ham
- Use less ham or eliminate it
- Thicken the soup with a slurry (flour or cornstarch dissolved in the milk) instead of a roux (melted butter and flour)
- Partially puree the soup to thicken it instead of with the white sauce (melted butter, flour, milk)
- Thicken the soup with pureed cauliflower or onions or other vegetables
- Pureed vegetables instead of the butter and flour roux (cauliflower, onions carrots potatoes)
- Bulk it up with more vegetables (onion, celery, carrots, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, etc)
- Spice it up with garlic, red pepper flakes and/or green chiles
- Use wheat flour alternative (brown rice flour, soy flour, almond flour)
- Thicken with Greek yogurt
Here are Some Lighter Healthier Cooking Tips That Can Help:
- 3 Ways to Make Recipes Weight Watchers Friendly
- Cooking Light & Healthy: Easy Ways to Make Your Recipes Lighter & Healthier
AllRecipe's Ham & Potato Soup Ingredients:
- 3-½ cups peeled and diced potatoes
- ⅓ cup diced celery
- ⅓ cup finely chopped onion
- ¾ cup diced cooked ham
- 3-¼ cups water
- 2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon ground white or black pepper, or to taste
- 5 tablespoons butter
- 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups milk
Are You Ready To Slim Down With Soup?
Click Here for AllRecipes Delicious Ham & Potato Soup Recipe Instructions
Skinny on Lighter Healthier Ham & Potato Soup
I loved reading all these clever suggestions for lightening up this AllRecipes Ham & Potato Soup!
It just goes to show that cooking is a creative process and there's no one way!
When we learn to depend less on recipes and cook foods our way, the easier and more fun cooking becomes.
It's like riding your bike without training wheels! But, like anything, it takes practice.
Here's what I would do to lighten up this soup:
Only Use One Pot.
Because I'm a lazy cook, I would never use two pots to make soup, which is what the original instructions suggest when they tell you to make a separate white sauce to add to your boiled vegetables and ham. For me, one of the beauties of soup is that it's a one pot dish. So, I'd find a way to thicken it all in one pot.
Eliminate the Roux/White Sauce.
I'm also not usually a fan of creamy soups thickened with a roux (melted fat/flour). They usually taste thick and pasty to me. That's just a personal preference, probably passed down from my mom. And it's a good thing for lightening up recipes since a lot of the calories in this recipe come from the 5 tablespoons of butter.
Puree.
I prefer to thicken my soups by pureeing a portion of the finished soup either with a stick blender or in a blender and then adding it back into the soup.
If The Soup Still Doesn't Seem Thick Enough...
I'd thicken it with a slurry, which is essentially flour dissolved in a bit of liquid and then stirred into the bubbling soup. It's the way my Mom always made gravy and it allows you to thicken soups/gravies without added fat.
Bulk It Up.
I'd definitely add more vegetables to bulk it up, without changing the integrity. I'd probably stick to additional onion, celery, potato, and cauliflower.
Skip or Use Less Milk.
I might add a little milk or cream at the end if I felt like the soup needed a touch of richness. But because my tastebuds are used to eating much lighter than they once did, I'd probably think it was fine.
Taste and Adjust Seasonings.
I'd taste the soup and then add salt and pepper until I liked the flavor.
Garnish.
If time permitted and I had some on hand, I'd garnish the with fresh chopped parsley. (I live within a 3-mile radius of several grocery stores and can buy huge bunches of parsley for $.5o. I realize this isn't true for everyone. I spent a few years living in rural Wisconsin, where the closest grocery store with fresh parsley was more than 30 miles away, and learned to be just fine without it.)
Skipping the butter, flour and milk and using cauliflower turns this into a *2 SmartPoint soup.
How Many Calories and WW Points in this Lightened Up Soup?
According to my calculations, my lightened up version of this ham and potato soup has about 90 calories and:
2 *SmartPoints (Green plan)
2 *SmartPoints (Blue plan)
1 *SmartPoints (Purple plan)
2 *PointsPlus (Old plan)
To see your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, Click here!
If you like this lightened up ham and potato soup, be sure to check out my other easy, healthy Weight Watchers friendly soup recipes including Creamy Potato Mushroom Soup, Slow Cooker Smoked Salmon Potato Leek Soup, Slow Cooker Potato Cauliflower Soup, Slow Cooker Ham and Wild Rice Soup and CrockPot Leftover Ham Bone Soup
If you've made this Enlightened Ham and Potato Soup, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.
All Recipe Ham & Potato Soup Recipe Made Lighter
Ingredients
- 4 cups peeled and chopped potatoes
- ½ cup chopped celery
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 10 ounces cauliflower (½ medium head)
- 4 cups water
- 2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground white or black pepper, or to taste
- ¾ cup diced cooked ham
Instructions
- Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, cauliflower, water, chicken bouillon, salt and pepper in a soup pot.
- Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Stir in the ham.
- Taste and add more salt and pepper as necessary.
- If the soup is too thick, thin with a bit more water or milk.
Recipe Notes
*Points® calculated by WW. *PointsPlus® and SmartPoints® calculated by Simple Nourished Living; Not endorsed by Weight Watchers International, Inc. All recipe ingredients except optional items included in determining nutritional estimates. SmartPoints® values calculated WITHOUT each plan's ZeroPoint Foods (Green plan, Blue plan, Purple plan) using the WW Recipe Builder.
More Easy + Healthy Soup Recipes For Weight Watchers:
- Baked Potato Soup (SkinnyTaste)
- Vegan Potato Soup with Beans & Kale (Cookin'Canuck)
- Lentil & Sweet Potato Stew (EatYourselfSkinny)
- Roasted Sweet Potato Soup (LaaLoosh)
- Turkey, Barley & Sweet Potato Soup (SkinnyKitchen)
- Sausage, Kale & Potato Soup (Copycat Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana) (OrganizeYourselfSkinny)
- Broccoli Cheese & Potato Soup (SkinnyTaste)
- Creamy Chicken & Potato Soup (SkinnyKitchen)
Search for More WW Friendly Soup Recipes
6/1/16 GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED!!
The winner of the Gift Card is:
Deanna Harrison, "I love onions in my potato soup, so I would thicken it up with boiled pureed onion, which I would blend with nonfat powdered milk, to make a creamy broth. Delicious."
Congratulations Deanna, Contact support@simple-nourished-living.com to claim your prize! And thanks to all of you who stopped by and participated. I'm so grateful for each and every one of you.
TO ENTER
To enter the giveaway, just answer the following question in the Comments section of this post:
- How would you make this recipe lighter, healthier and more Weight Watchers friendly?
Just let me know what would you do to make this recipe lighter and healthier and you’re entered to win the $50 Amazon Gift Card!
THE RULES
One entry per person, please
Winners will be announced next Wednesday. Be sure to check back to see if you won.
Good luck!
Martha is the founder and main content writer for Simple-Nourished-Living.
A longtime lifetime WW at goal, she is committed to balancing her love of food and desire to stay slim while savoring life and helping others do the same.
She is the author of the Smart Start 28-Day Weight Loss Challenge.
A huge fan of the slow cooker and confessed cookbook addict, when she's not experimenting in the kitchen, you're likely to find Martha on her yoga mat.
This giveaway is sponsored by Simple Nourished Living. Awarded prize may differ slightly (color, design, etc.) from images that appear here - based on availability. Giveaway prizes may be forfeited if not claimed within 90 days.
This post contains affiliate links to products I like. When you buy something through one of my Amazon links or other (affiliate links), I receive a small commission that helps support this site. Thank you for your purchase!
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Kit Cook
I would sub steamed cauliflower pieces about the same size for 1 1/2 cups of the potatoes, close to the end of cooking, so it doesn't get soggy. You could reduce the butter by a tablespoon or two.
Sharon
Like most have already stated I would swap the milk with lowfat/nonfat or almond/cashew milk, then cut down or completely eliminate the butter (or maybe something like Earth Balance or nut/seed butters if want that buttery taste ...), switch to a healthier flour alternative (almond flour, brown rice flour, soy flour, or pumpkin seed meal for example). Since the idea is to keep the ham and potato flavor, I wouldn't eliminate either the ham or the potato completely as some have suggested but maybe use Canadian bacon and half potato/half other veggie of choice
Deanna Harrison
I love onions in my potato soup, so I would thinken it up with boiled pureed onion, which I would blend with nonfat powdered milk, to make a creamy broth. Delicious.
Pattie B
I would use lean ham instead of regular; maybe add some parsley and finely chopped carrots for flavor & bulk up the soup with a little more veggies; perhaps a little garlic, too. The milk could be skim or almond, or even 1%; perhaps a little cauliflower in the food processor to thicken he soup instead of the flour & butter, or purée half of the potatoes to thicken the soup. Fat free, low sodium chicken broth could be substituted for the bouillion for less sodium. If using the butter, I'd make it light butter for fewer calories. Maybe a cup of soup instead of a bowl of soup would be just as satisfying. Drink water first, eat slowly, & enjoy!
Phyllis
I would not use the butter and flour instead use cornstarch with reduced fat milk to thicken the soup. Maybe puree some of the potatoes
Joan
I would replace 1/2 the potatoes with cauliflower
Matt Blecha
I would cut the butter in half, swith to a low fat unsweetened almond milk. I know it wouldnt take the points down a ton but I wouldn't want to mess with the integrity of the recipe.
Liz Bitran
Instead of butter milk and flour I would give a taste by adding chard in it!
Liz Bitran
Instead of milk and flour, I would give a taste by adding chard. Patotoe is already thick no need to add flour. And with some parsley on top it will taste great!
Donna Sharp
I would exchange one cup of the potatoes with one cup of carrots.
Doris B.
I would use cauliflower instead of potatoes.
Edie Dull
I would switch from whole milk to 2% or 1%. I would use cornstarch dissolved in a low-fat milk/water mixture to thicken the soup and leave out the butter and flour. I would also omit the salt since the ham would add some saltiness to the soup.
Teresa Beckham
I would cook the potatoes and veggies (add more) in broth ( I use Tones chicken base) allow the potato veggie mixture to sit with a lid on, heat off, for 10 min to absorb the chicken flavor, I would use 1% milk and also puree some of the potatoes to add to the milk to thicken the soup instead of using flour and butter.
Renee
I would change half the potatoes for cauliflower, substitute skim or 1% milk for whole milk, look for a lean cut of ham or even a turkey ham substitute, and use chicken broth instead of the water and buillion granules to cut down the sodium content.
Tina Dorris
I would us turkey ham, low fat, low sodium chicken broth lower fat butter or margarine and low fat or fat free milk. You could use cauliflower to substitute for some of the potatoes. Yum
Kim Martin
I would use skim or 1% milk, decrease the flour and butter, then add some chopped carrots. I like the suggestion of doing some sweet potatoes with white potatoes! Love sweet potatoes with ham!
Dawn G
I've been finding that sauteing the onion and celery in a bit of the butter first intensifies the flavor. That being said, I would cut the butter and flour down to 2 T each and use 1% milk. To thicken, I usually mash some of the potatoes while leaving enough bigger chunks for eating.
And long-overdue kudos to Martha. Your columns really resonate with me, and I share them whenever a friend is looking for sensible and loving self-care advice!
Liz
I would use chicken broth to replace some of the butter and use half cauliflower for some of the potatoes. Thanks Martha for all of your great recipes! Enjoy your weekend!
Liz
Robin M
I would puree some extra cooked potatoes and that would help thicken the soup. Eliminate 1/2 the flour and butter.
Sandy B.
I would substitute the butter and milk with lower fat alternatives, like margarine and skim milk.
Cindy
Omit flour, butter and mild- use choice of pureed veggies- zero points! I've used cooked cauliflower, chick peas-drained and rinsed, some of the potatoes. Really, any veggie. Carrots too, even though it would change color. Use less potatoes nad sub in extra veggies. Yum!