Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Soup's On! Recipe for Baked Potato Soup

It's that time of the year where I go soup crazy. We just finished the soups I had in the freezer before summer started and it's time to make more. I made lentil soup the other day and Sunday we defrosted a wonderful batch of my father's vegetable soup. I LOVE soup. I love to make it and I love to eat it. I love opening my windows on a cool crisp fall day while a pot of soup is simmering on my stove. I love that I can add what I want and eliminate my not so favorites. I love it when my whole house smells like soup and the kids come home from school and they are happy because they know they are having soup for dinner. Over the summer , tortilla soup was a weekly meal.

I am highlighting one of my family's favorite soup. My mom gave me a Cooking Light Best Recipes cookbook last Christmas and I found this great recipe for Baked Potato Soup. It was called their "best soup ever." The potatoes are baked before being added to the soup, creating a wonderful texture. The end result is a soup that tastes exactly like a baked potato in a bowl. Sour cream, cheddar cheese, green onions, and bacon provide the delicious flavor. Is it really the best potato soup ever? Make it and find out. I usually serve this with buffalo wings.
Baked Potato Soup
Cooking Light

Ingredients:

4 baking potatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds)
2/3 cup all-purpose flour (about 3 ounces)
6 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
1 cup (4 ounces) reduced-fat shredded extrasharp cheddar cheese, divided
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup reduced-fat sour cream
3/4 cup chopped green onions, divided
6 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
Cracked black pepper (optional)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400°.
Pierce potatoes with a fork; bake at 400° for 1 hour or until tender. Cool. Peel potatoes; coarsely mash.
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Place flour in a large Dutch oven; gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly (about 8 minutes). Add mashed potatoes, 3/4 cup cheese, salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, stirring until cheese melts. Remove from heat.
Stir in sour cream and 1/2 cup onions. Cook over low heat 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated (do not boil). Ladle 1 1/2 cups soup into each of 8 bowls. Sprinkle each serving with 1 1/2 teaspoons cheese, 1 1/2 teaspoons onions, and about 1 tablespoon bacon. Garnish with cracked pepper, if desired.

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