Bacon & Baked Potato Soup

Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 55 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 2 russet baking potatoes (6-8 oz.each) or 2 yukon gold baking potatoes (6-8 oz.each)
• 3 tablespoons unsalted. butter (less if possible) or 3 tablespoons unsalted margarine (less if possible)
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup sliced button mushroom
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 pinches crushed red pepper flakes (optional, more if needed)
• 4 cups half-and-half (we used 2% milk) or 4 cups light cream (we used 2% milk) or 4 cups milk (we used 2% milk) or 4 cups soymilk (we used 2% milk)
• 2 -3 cherry tomatoes (for color)
• 1 1/4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (5 ounces)
• 1 cup low sodium chicken broth or 1 cup low sodium vegetable broth
• 8 slices of peppery rubbed bacon (crispy broken pieces, please the real thing) or 8 slices turkey bacon (crispy broken pieces, please the real thing)
• 3 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions
• 1/4 cup sour cream

Recipe

• 1 scrub potatoes with a vegetable brush; pat dry & prick with a fork.
• 2 bake in a 425º f oven for 40-60 minutes or until tender; cool.
• 3 peel potatoes, if desired, & chop potatoes; set aside.
• 4 in a heavy large saucepan or dutch oven, melt butter or margarine over medium heat.
• 5 add onions, celery, & sliced mushrooms.
• 6 cook and stir about 5 minutes or until crisp-tender.
• 7 stir in flour, thyme, salt, pepper & crushed red pepper.
• 8 add half-and-half, or milk, or soy milk all at once, as well as, cherry tomatoes.
• 9 cook and stir for 5-6 minutes or until thickened and bubbly.
• 10 add potatoes, 1 cup of the cheese, and the broth; stir until cheese melts.
• 11 slightly mash potatoes with the back of a spoon or a potato masher.
• 12 for the topping, reserve 2 tablespoons of the bacon.
• 13 stir the remaining bacon and 1 tablespoon of the green onion into soup.
• 14 heat through.
• 15 to serve, top each serving with reserved bacon, remaining 1/4 cup cheese, green onions and the sour cream.
• 16 enjoy!