Baked Potato Soup

Baked Potato Soup

Best Soup. "This recipe was originally for our Lighten Up column. Most everyone was happy with it the first time we tried it, but I knew the soup could be better. The soup originally used fat-free sour cream, which I felt gave it a too-tart taste. After tweaking a few ingredients, the recipe now calls for reduced-fat sour cream, and we all are much happier with the results." --Recipe by Ann Taylor Pittman (October 2002) Baked Potato Soup

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 extra sharp 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 after it starts to simmer - this will take a long time). 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. Nutritional Information Amount per serving

Calories: 329 Calories from fat: 30% Fat: 10.8g Saturated fat: 5.9g Monounsaturated fat: 3.5g Polyunsaturated fat: 0.7g Protein: 13.6g Carbohydrate: 44.5g Fiber: 2.8g Cholesterol: 38mg Iron: 1.1mg Sodium: 587mg Calcium: 407mg