Smoky Potato Cheese Soup

I almost didn't write a review for this one because I didn't follow the recipe exactly. I was really happy with the results so I decided to share what I did. With the onion, I added some finely chopped carrots & celery. It adds a little more flavor and a few vitamins. Plus kids hardly notice they are eating a few extra veggies. I cooked the veggies, potatos, and sausage on the stove in just one can of chicken broth. After I mashed the potatos a little, I transfered everything to my crockpot, added one can of evaporated milk and the velveeta cheese. It was easy to let it all blend together in the crock pot and I didn't have to watch it. We left and when we returned, it was nice & thick and just needed to be stirred a little. I used only one can each of the broth & milk instead of two. To make it a little thinner, I might add a little 2% or a little more broth next time. Like other reviewers, I cut way back on the butter used to saute the veggies. I think a couple of tablespoons is sufficient. I also used a little less sausage and chopped it smaller than bite sized in order to appeal more to the younger members of the family. This one is definitely a keeper with these modifications for my house. I love any recipe that allows me to have the crockpot do the cooking while I'm away.

With modifications, this is a very good soup, especially on cold nights. I added some garlic (2-3 cloves) to the onions while I sauteed them in the butter. I also added bits of smoked sausage BEFORE I added the stock. Gave the soup more smoky, hearty flavor. I also added a pinch cayenne (red pepper flakes or Tabasco would be good too). Finally, I used 5 large baking potatoes and only 1 can of evaporated milk. It made a ton of soup, and my picky boyfriend ate 2 heaping bowls!

I was looking for a new way to use smoked sausage when I found this recipe. Definitely a keeper. Very good. The second time I made this with less fat and it's still good. I omitted the butter and used a pan spray. Fat free evaporated milk, light velveeta, fat free/low sodium broth, healthy choice smoked sausage. Yummy. Only problem was the milk curdling during reheating -- don't know if the full fat version does that.