Baked Potato Soup

Have you ever had baked potato in soup form?  We have.  And wow was it awesome!!


I found this recipe while browsing through the Cooking Light website a few nights ago.  I have a ton of potato soup recipes bookmarked, but for some reason, this one appealed to me and I knew I had to make it immediately.  I think the recipe appealed to me because we were on day 3 of straight gloom/clouds/rain/puke weather.  Anytime I deal with garbage weather like that for a too many days in a row, I crave comfort and hearty soup foods.


This soup turned out very well.  I did have to add some additional seasoning to it, but this is because I am a salt and pepper. freak.  It tasted exactly like a baked potato in soup form and I did not have a single complaint about the soup.  I didn't use the bacon, but Ron did, and he loved it.  I also decided to add about 1.5 cups of the peeled potato skins to the soup for more texture.  I really enjoyed the addition and I think Ron did too.  I'm not a big fan of soup that doesn't have anything to chew.  Next time, I may do a mixture of 1/2 mashed and 1/2 potato chunks with skins still on.


The soup was a bit funny to reheat.  We had a lot of leftovers and it basically turned into a paste the next day.  However, a quick nuke in the microwave turned it back into a semi-liquid form (it was pretty thick to begin with) and I added about 1/2 c of cooked broccoli the second time around.  So good!  A potato soup that is so versatile after it's been cooked.  Definitely try this one.  Note:  nutritional information on Cooking Light website.  This can easily be adjusted/made with different cheese/milk, etc.

Baked Potato Soup
adapted from Cooking Light
Yield:  8 servings (serving size: about 1 1/2 cups soup, 1 1/2 teaspoons cheese, 1 1/2 teaspoons onions, and about 1 tablespoon bacon)
Ingredients

• 4 baking potatoes (about 2.5 pounds)
• Option of reserving about 1.5-2 cups of potato skins, cooked and peeled
• 2/3 c AP flour (about 3 oz)
• 6 c 2% milk
• 1 c (4 oz) reduced-fat shredded extrasharp cheddar cheese, divided
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 c reduced fat sour cream
• 3/4 c chopped green onions, divided
• 6 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Pierce potatoes with a fork; bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour or until tender.  Cool.  Peel potatoes, reserving potato skins if desired.  Coarsely mash.
3. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cup; level with a knife.
4. Place flour in a large Dutch oven; gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended.
5. Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly (about 8 minutes).
6. Add mashed potatoes, 3/4 c cheese, salt and 1/2 tsp pepper, stirring until cheese melts. 
7. Remove from heat.
8. Stir in sour cream and 1/2 c onions.
9. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated (do not boil).
10. Ladle soup into serving bowls and sprinkle each with remaining cheese, onions and bacon.