October 29, 2010

Lightened Loaded Potato Soup

This recipe seems to have taken the blogging world by storm. When I saw the recipe in this month’s issue of Cooking Light magazine I added it to my weekly menu immediately. Then I realized I wasn’t the first one to make it (“oh yeah… this isa nationally published magazine”). I kept stumbling upon other wonderful food blogs who also added this recipe to their weekly menus. It’s no wonder why so many people wanted to make this soup and share it with the internet. It’s good. And easy. It also doesn’t make you feel like you just chugged a gallon of cream. And it has bacon. There’s something very comforting and romantic about whipping up a bowl of homemade soup to sip as the weather outside gets progressively cooler.On a side note, does anyone else ever accidentally type “soap” instead of “soup”? Good thing I proof read. Oops x 100.

Recipe Rundown
Taste: Rich. Surprisingly rich. Sharp and salty with an onion-y bite thanks to the delicious garnishes.
Texture: Creamy, chunky, crispy. Who doesn’t love potato in their soup? Also, what is better than crisp, crumbled bacon? Mmmm.
Ease: I made almost the entire recipe while on the phone with (relatively) no mistakes.
Appearance: The garnishes really add vibrant color and texture. I forgot to add a sprinkling of freshly cracked black pepper on top of my bowl which would have added some additional speckles of texture.
Pros: Non-guilt-inducing, delicious, perfect for an easy lunch or dinner at home (just add a salad and maybe a hunk of crusty bread with butter).
Cons: None, really.
Would I make this again? Yes.

Loaded Potato Soup

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

4 (6-ounce) red potatoes
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 1/4 cups lower-sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups 1% low-fat milk, divided
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 bacon slices, halved
1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4 teaspoons thinly sliced green onions

Directions:

1. Pierce potatoes with a fork. Microwave on HIGH 13 minutes or until tender. Cut in half; cool slightly.
2. While potatoes cook, heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 3 minutes. Add broth. Combine flour and 1/2 cup milk in measuring cup; add to pan then add the remaining 1 1/2 cups milk. Bring to a boil; stir often, being careful to not let the milk boil over. Cook 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in sour cream, salt, and pepper.
3. Arrange bacon on a paper towel on a microwave-safe plate. Cover with a paper towel; microwave on HIGH for 4 minutes. Crumble bacon.
4. Scoop potato into soup and discard potato skins. Coarsely mash potatoes into soup using a potato masher. Ladle soup into four bowls and top with cheese, green onions, and bacon.

From Cooking Light October 2010

recipe, soup

31 comments »

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1

Anonymous — October 29, 2010 at 8:56 pm

This looks wonderful. I can't wait to make it. Thanks Tessa!
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2

Tessa — October 30, 2010 at 3:38 am

Yum! I've been eying this recipe since I got the magazine a couple weeks ago from my mom. Yours looks great!
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3

Mlle Fraise — October 30, 2010 at 4:36 pm

I don't know why I've never thought about potato in soup form. This looks so darn delicious that I may have to give it a try soon. Great job Tessa!
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claire — November 1, 2010 at 2:45 pm

i have seen this all over the place as well. love your review though! looks delicious!
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mamadana — November 1, 2010 at 5:21 pm

This looks great!

Does it heat up well the next day?
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yd — November 3, 2010 at 6:47 am

Looks so sinfully delicious…
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Rachel — November 7, 2010 at 4:23 am

MM that looks so yummy, can't believe I somehow overlooked that in Cooking Light this month! Thanks for sharing
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Angela — January 17, 2011 at 2:30 am

Really good. So rich, I cannot imagine eating the un-lightened version!! This was perfect.
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paperheart3113 — January 29, 2011 at 6:18 pm

This is so delicious! I made it today and used 2% milk instead, and I added some frozen corn at the last minute. Yum!
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Kaitlyn — March 4, 2011 at 7:57 pm

If your looking for some really low sodium chicken broth try purchasing epicure's as it has about 160 mg sodium per cup of broth whereas something like OXO chicken powder (even 25% less sodium) still has about 450 mg sodium per 3/4 cup!
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shawnabcdefg — April 11, 2011 at 10:37 am

I absolutely LOVE potato soup. It's amazing. I can't wait til I'm able to try this out!
It looks so good,and sounds so easy.
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Melissa — July 14, 2011 at 7:48 pm

this looks delicious, thanks for sharing! i'm new to cooking so i was glad to see the ingredients are all very simple!
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Cheer4UT — October 10, 2011 at 8:38 pm

Ugh! This recipe is probably good, but keep your eyes on the stupid potatoes….I was not watching them and I put them in the microwave at 10 minutes. When I took them out they were shriveled looking prunes. Now I am just hoping this stuff can be saved and the potatoes can be added later since I don't have time to go back to the store. Grrr
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Cheer4UT — October 10, 2011 at 9:27 pm

OK EDIT:
I threw some broccoli in there since I had no potatoes left and its pretty good! It may not be potato soup, but it will work. I actually am thinking of making it with cauliflower because that is often used to imitate potato and would make this dish even healthier!
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Made in Sonoma — October 10, 2011 at 10:41 pm

I made this recipe when it came out and I loved it!
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Emilie — October 28, 2011 at 5:56 pm

Oh this looks like heaven on a chilly day like today!!!
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geographyofdani — November 12, 2011 at 3:32 am

Hi, I've been looking for a good potato soup recipe since having had lunch recently at Potbelly's. I came across your recipe and I'm totally confident I can recreate this with minimal errors (I'm not very talented in the kitchen – I can barely make mac and cheese). Thank you for posting a simple and tasty (looking) recipe. Thanks!!
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Mrs. Scifres — December 6, 2011 at 7:55 am

What do you think of using cornstarch instead of flour? I have a gluten-free friend coming for dinner.
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Tessa — December 6, 2011 at 4:23 pm

Mrs. Scifres – I've never tried cornstarch instead of flour in this recipe but I think it would work – I would halve the amount of cornstarch since it has much better thickening power than flour.
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Anni — August 5, 2012 at 10:16 pm

About how many calories are in this soup per serving?
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Beckie — September 16, 2012 at 5:25 pm

I made this tonight, it was fabulous!
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Braelynn — September 26, 2012 at 1:39 pm

im not sure why this was on pinterest for ocharleys. i work there and we just used cheese soup and steamed unfried french fries.
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Judy — November 17, 2012 at 4:57 pm

This soup is outstanding! I used 1cup skim milk and 1 cup fat free evaporated milk and a little less onion and it was just fabulous!
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ABayMommy — December 1, 2012 at 1:00 pm
OMG! This soup is DELICIOUS!! I just finished making this about 30 mins ago and the pot is HALF gone! My family is eating it all up on this rainy Norcal afternoon! Thank you for the wonderful recipe!!!!! So easy to make. What a hit!!!
- Tessa replied: — December 1st, 2012 @ 11:08 pm
  
  I’m thrilled to hear that! Sounds like a pretty perfect Saturday afternoon
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Antonette Sorey — January 30, 2013 at 9:45 pm

I like this. It is the best job I ve seen.