Loaded Baked Potato Soup

When there's a chill in the air, there's no better way to warm your bones than with a bowl of hearty soup. Today's recipe for Baked Potato Soup fits the chill perfectly!

All the flavors of a loaded baked potato come together here. We guarantee you'll get requests for this soup time and again from family and friends.

Be sure not to skip the toppings of bacon, onion and cheese. They are not only a great compliment to this delectable soup, but also part of your healthy dieting experience!

Ingredients
 4 baking potatoes (about 2 1/2 lbs.)
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
6 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
1 cup (4 oz.) reduced-fat shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 cup reduced-fat sour cream
3/4 cup chopped green onions, divided
6 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Pierce potatoes with a fork; bake for one hour or until tender. Cool. Peel potatoes; coarsely mash. Discard skins.

3. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; 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 eight minutes). Add mashed potatoes, 3/4 cup cheese, salt, and pepper, stirring until cheese melts. Remove from heat.

4. Stir in sour cream and 1/2 cup onions. Cook over low heat 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated (do not boil). Sprinkle each serving with cheese, onions and bacon.

Makes eight servings (serving size: about 1 1/2 cups soup, 1 1/2 teaspoons cheese, 1 1/2 teaspoons onions). Nutritional values per serving: 329 calories (30 percent from fat), 10.8g fat (5.9g sat, 3.5g mono and 0.7g poly), 13.6g protein, 44.5g carbohydrate, 2.8g fiber, 38mg cholesterol, 1.1mg iron, 587mg sodium and 407g calcium.

Copyright 2007 Cooking Light magazine