Baked Potato Soup

One of my favorite things to cook when the weather turns cooler is Baked Potato Soup!  It is perfect for lazy Sunday afternoons.  Although this is not a difficult recipe, it is a little labor intensive ~ but worth the effort.   I made this soup two Sundays ago, and for the first time even my children were talking about how good it is.

Baked Potato Soup

4 large potatoes 

2/3 cup butter or margarine

2/3 cup all purpose flour

6 cups milk

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

4 green onions chopped

12 slices bacon cooked & crumbled

1 & 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese or ever how much you want

8 ounces sour cream (may not be necessary)
Yields 10 cups

* First you start with 4 large baking potatoes...

* In the interest of time, we usually just cook these in the microwave.  Once they are cooled, cut in halves and scoop out pulp.  Discard the skins.

* Melt butter in large soup pot then add the flour.
* Cook this mixture for about 1-2 minutes.
* Gradually add milk & cook until it thickens - stir often (this sometimes takes longer than you might think and it can start to stick if you are not stirring).

As you can see, Emma was a great helper with the stirring...

*After you have a nice, thicker milk mixture, add the potato pulp, salt, & pepper!  Here I usually just salt & pepper to taste...I don't take the time to measure this out.

* Next add about one cup shredded cheddar

* Add about 2 tsp chopped green onions

* And add about 1/2 cup of crumbled bacon

* Cook until the soup is heated through.

* If the soup is thicker than you would like, you can add sour cream or more milk here to thin it out.

* Serve with green onions, cheese and bacon crumbles on top.

This recipe is not low in calories, but it is absolutely delicious!