Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Baked potatoes aren't really my thing. Even I don't understand how this is possible since I love pretty well every component of a baked potato.

Potato? Yup.
Cheese? You know it.
Onion? Cousin to garlic, no question.
Bacon? Hell yes!

So why not love a baked potato that combines all this goodness together? I'm not sure..maybe it's just to much potato, or the pure size of most baked potatoes intimidates me. Whatever the reason, I usually just avoid them altogether.

When I saw this recipe, it immediately caught my attention. There was no looming massive potato to intimidate me. It was just a bowl of soup, with all my favorite fixings in it.

I can totally handle a bowl of soup.

So I knew right away that I needed to try this, and let me tell you, it was INCREDIBLE! So delicious and it just makes my tummy smile! It also makes a LOT of soup, so this is a perfect recipe to use when you are having guests over.

For this soup, if you want it to be super creamy and smooth, you can put it in a food processor to get all the potato chunks out. I like my soup a little chunky so I just used the masher to blend it as per the recipe.

Hope you enjoy this delicious dish!

All the toppings to go on your soup!

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Yields ~12 bowls of soup   (WW: 7pts per bowl)
Ingredients:

8 medium-large potatoes (about 3lbs)

2 Tbsp flour

6 cups milk

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided

1 1/3 cup sour cream

4 green onions, chopped

6 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled

Directions:

1) Peel and cube your potatoes, leaving aside two whole potatoes. Boil the potato cubes and whole potatoes until soft. Set aside the cooked whole potatoes

2) Drain the water, and mash your cubed potatoes. Set aside.

3) In a saucepan over medium heat, cook your flour and milk. Whisk together until completely combined, then add your salt and pepper. Boil your mixture for about 10 mins, stirring frequently (*Note about boiling milk: For those of you who don't know (I didn't) milk does not boil like water. It starts to look a little frothy...IT IS BOILING! If you are waiting to see bubbles popping up to the surface, it will not happen until it is too late and the milk explodes over the top of your pan. I am just trying to save you the from the sam huge mess I endured...I hope this has helped).

4) Add your milk mixture to your mashed potatoes and stir. Using the potato masher helps to combine the potatoes with the milk mixture.

5) Once the two are combined to your satisfaction, add in one cup of the cheese and stir until the cheese has melted. Then add all the sour cream and stir until well combined.

6) Prepare your toppings (Shred more cheese, cook and crumble bacon, chop onions, cube the cooked whole potatoes). Serve soup warm with all the toppings!

(Recipe adapted from Zoom Yummy)