Northshore Food Service’s Potato Soup Recipe Wins Second Place

Congratulations to our Food Services department for placing second in the recipe competition at the Washington School Nutrition Association’s annual conference! The Food Services team submitted their potato soup recipe, a recipe developed for last year’s pilot program to cook more meals from scratch.

Field Supervisor Delene Andrew brought the potato soup recipe to the Leota kitchen staff. Together they refined the recipe and it was quickly introduced to menus districtwide. “We got a tremendous response from our students,” says Andrew, “because the soup is hearty, warm and home-cooked.”

The Northshore Food Services department is now working hard in the kitchen to develop new scratch meals to serve during lunches this upcoming school year. “Last year we successfully tested and rolled out close to 20 scratch menu items. Our goal this year is to continue testing, but also work on our communication with families so they know when we’re offering a scratch-made menu item. We are looking forward to working closely with the Nutrition & Fitness Advisory Committee on this effort as well as utilizing more social media,” says Juliana Fisher, director of Food Services.

Want to try the potato soup recipe for yourself? Follow the simple directions below. But unless you’re cooking for a school, you may need to scale it down!

Potato Soup Recipe

• Yield: 2 gallons, 31 servings
• Serving size: 1 cup

Ingredients

• 3 cups onions, chopped
• 3 cups celery, chopped
• 3 cups carrots, peeled, diced
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
• ½ cup vegetable base
• 1 gallon water
• 2 quarts potatoes, diced, precooked
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 cup cornstarch
• 12 oz evaporated milk

Directions

1. In a pot or steam-jacketed kettle, combine vegetables, oil and Italian seasoning. Cook over medium heat 10 to 15 minutes or until tender. OR combine in 6-inch hotel pan and roast at 350 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Stir vegetable base into water. Stir into vegetables. Add potatoes, salt and pepper.
3. In a bowl, blend cornstarch and evaporated milk. Stir into potato mixture.
4. Heat until thickened.