Simple, filling, and it’s got vegetables so you can count it has healthy. Remember early enough in the day to make some crusty bread, and you’ve got a good thing going!

Ingredients:

• 2 slices of bacon, diced (rather than getting a cutting board contaminated with bacon juice, I just use kitchen shears to cut it right into the pot)
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 2 14.5 ounce cans wax beans, drained (and ideally cut into bite sized pieces, but who can be bothered?)
• 3 cups water
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 russet potato
• 3 cups milk
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 tablespoon butter

In a large saucepan, or in this case the dutch oven I had previously cooked the day’s bread in, cook the bacon and onions over medium heat until the bacon gets almost-acceptably crispy. This always takes longer than I expect when there’s also onion in the dish?

Add the water, beans, salt, and pepper to the dish. While the water heats, dice the potato and add that as well, cooking until the potato is tender.

In a small dish, combine the flour and enough of the milk to make a paste.

More milk than necessary, but the flour is dissolved which is what matters.

Once the potato is tender, add the milk/flour mixture and the remaining milk, and bring just to the boil, stirring occasionally.

Turn off the heat and add the butter, stirring until the butter has melted in, then serve.

Wax Bean Chowder

Adapted from Farm Journal Cookbook – America’s Best Vegetable Recipes (1970).

• 2 slices of bacon, diced
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 2 14.5 ounce cans wax beans, drained and cut into small pieces
• 3 cups water
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 russet potato
• 3 cups milk
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 tablespoon butter

In a large saucepan, cook the bacon and onions over medium heat until the bacon is almost completely crispy. Add the water, beans, salt, and pepper to the dish. While the water heats, dice the potato and add that as well, cooking until the potato is tender. In a small dish, combine the flour and enough of the milk to make a paste. Once the potato is tender, add the milk/flour mixture and the remaining milk, and bring just to the boil, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat and add the butter, stirring until the butter has melted in, then serve.