A tale of two soups

Once upon a time, we weren't vegetarian. And this recipe was easy and delicious, one of my favorites to make. Tonight (being clueless about what to make for dinner) I decided to just go for it, and try to make up my own au gratin- and ham-free version, fingers crossed it tastes good. Not that I'll remember, I haven't made any version of this recipe for 13.5 years. But for the rest of you, I give you a gift!

Cheese and Vegetable Chowder
4 cups water
3 cups shredded cabbage
1 cup finely chopped ham, bacon, Canadian bacon, whatever smoke flavored meat you want
2 large carrots, sliced thin
1 5.25- to 5.5-oz. pkg dry au gratin potato mix
1 cup milk
1 tsp cornstarch
1 cup frozen cut green beans (or, I used drained canned green beans all the time)

In 4-qt pan combine water, cabbage, smoked meat, carrots, and the dry potatoes with sauce mix. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Combine milk plus cornstarch, add to soup along with frozen beans. Simmer, covered, for 10-15 minutes more or until beans are tender. Makes 4-6 main dish servings.

And just FYI, my vegan version turned out CREAMY DELICIOUS SCRUMPTIOUS as well. I used fresh potatoes sliced thin instead of a mix, and flavored the broth (5 c water 3 c soymilk, because I doubled the recipe) with vegan bouillon, a heaping Tbsp of nutritional yeast, and Goya Ham Flavored Concentrate (which, conveniently for me, does not contain ham of any kind). So tonight, I win and you win! :D