Zoey's Pick for Dinner

I love meal planning and grocery shopping, but last week I was just plain worn out. I asked the kids to pick out something for dinner that was easy and quick. Zoey went to landolakes.com and returned with her recommendation: Ham, Mac & Cheese Soup. Of course!

This recipe was everything I asked for – it requires only 10 minutes prep time and couldn’t be more simple. Start by cooking the pasta and setting it aside. Dice up the ham and deli cheese so they’re ready. I had sliced cheese so I just measured out 8 ounces and chopped it into squares for easy melting. (This amounted to 15 thin deli slices for me, but every deli is different so better to go by the weight on your package.) Also, I had some hot dogs on hand so sliced those instead of diced ham.

Now, melt the butter until sizzling and then stir in the flour and mustard.

When this is stirred together it will look like a paste. 

Next add the half and half and broth. You can just pour it all in at once.

Whisk until the paste is all mixed in and the mixture is smooth. This just takes a few seconds. 

Now, cook over medium-high heat and keep whisking until the mixture comes to a boil in about 4-5 minutes. It will thicken a little but not much.

Reduce the heat to low and toss in the cheese.

Stir until the cheese is melted. This took about 3 minutes for me, but if the cheese is sliced thicker or cubed then this timing can vary. Just whisk until the mixture is smooth and you can no longer see any pieces of cheese.

Nice and creamy and cheesy! The last step is to add the macaroni and the ham or hot dogs, plus a little salt and pepper to taste. Hot dogs are saltier than ham, so I didn’t add any salt and the soup was just right for me.

Voila! A creamy delicious soup that comes together in minutes.

Served with crusty bread and butter, this is just what’s needed for January in Minnesota. If winter’s become too much for you, or you just need a little comfort for dinner, try this Ham, Mac & Cheese Soup. I’d love to hear if you like it and if you found it to be as easy as I did.

Check back in a few days when Amanda makes another great recipe for surviving winter in Minnesota.

Liz is paid to write for the Land O'Lakes Recipe Buzz® Blog.