Loaded Baked Potato Soup

I think many of us would agree that soup is a comfort food. In our home, it is a seasonal menu item that arrives with the cooler weather of fall and winter. A warm hearty soup can turn any chill into a warm toasty feeling and make me feel better when I'm under the weather. Best of all, it's easy to make.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup, Jalapeno Cornbread &
Potato Skins...something for everyone!

When family visited recently, the weather was typical early fall...chilly. We've now added a quilt to the beds since the sheets alone are no longer enough. We've closed the windows and turned on the furnace in case temps dip too low overnight.  This all
encouraged me to prepare a hearty soup for my loved ones to soothe and warm them.
My favorite homemade soup is potato and, with family coming, I thought Loaded Baked Potato Soup would be special. I was right! We had a great meal together and I loved serving potato skins on the side so none of the potato went to waste! My dad is a big fan of  cornbread so I made my Jalapeno Corn Bread for him, too. 

Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Cook 2 lbs. bacon, crumble and set aside
1 lg onion, diced
6-8 large potatoes
3 c. chicken broth
3 T. butter
3-4 T. flour
1 1/2 c. Half & Half (you can use milk)
4-6 scallions, diced
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 t. black pepper
Sour cream for garnish, optional

Fry the bacon until crisp; drain, crumble and set aside.  Cook the large diced scallions in the bacon skillet with about 2 T. of the bacon grease, until tender.
There are several options for preparing the potatoes -

• I baked my foil-wrapped potatoes in a crock pot for about 5-6 hours on high. Afterward, I quartered them and scooped out the potato flesh and saved the skins for a potato skin side dish.
• You could also peel, chunk cut and boil them in the chicken broth, until tender.
• Another option is to cook them in the microwave and follow the same steps as the crock pot potatoes above.  

Add the potatoes and chicken broth to a large stock pot, if you have not already done so. In a small saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour and cook 2 minutes. Whisk in milk, bring to boil and simmer until thickened. Slowly stir into stock pot. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer.

Add 1 c. shredded cheddar cheese, three-fourths of the fried bacon, and half of the diced scallions to the stock pot. Add pepper. Stir to combine. Cook additional 5 minutes.

To serve, ladle into soup bowls and top with shredded cheddar cheese, crumbled bacon bits and diced scallions and optional sour cream.

This recipe was adapted from Stolen Moments Cooking.

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