Baked Potato Soup

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I made this Soup last night for supper. It has helped me maintain what little sanity I have left, 12 days after surgery and still in the full liquids phase, now that I am hungry and near-desperate for "real foods." Also, I have a big sweet tooth, but have wearied of so many sweet Protein shakes, sweet yogurt drinks, sweet popsicles and juices. So coming up with good, savory Soups has been really important during this stage for me.

baked potato Soup

4 baking potatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds)

2/3 cup all-purpose flour (about 3 ounces)

6 cups 2% milk

1 cup (4 ounces) reduced-fat shredded extrasharp cheddar cheese, divided

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (I had ground white pepper so that's what I used)

1 cup reduced-fat sour cream

3/4 cup chopped green onions, divided (I omitted)

6 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled (I omitted)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pierce potatoes with a fork, bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour or until tender. Cool. Peel potatoes, coarsely mash.

(I didn't want to take the time to do this. I peeled and quartered the potatoes, and boiled them on the stovetop in well-salted Water. This also made them a lot moister and, I think, easier to mash into oblivion. However, I think this recipe would work awesome with leftover baked potatoes from a previous evening or, for bandsters, on a night when they are baking potatoes for their families.)

2. 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 8 minutes. Add mashed potatoes, 3/4 cup cheese, salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, stirring until cheese melts. Remove from heat.

3. Stir in sour cream and 1/2 cup onions. Cook over low heat 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated (do not boil). Ladle 1 1/2 cups soup into each of 8 bowls. Sprinkle each serving with 1 1/2 teaspoons cheese, 1 1/2 teaspoons onions, and about 1 tablespoon bacon. Garnish with cracked pepper.

Yield: 8 servings

(I made a half-recipe as my boyfriend does not care for soup. I had it for dinner last night and lunch today and I haven't even eaten a whole serving yet.)

Calories: 329 (30% from fat)

Fat: 10.8 g (sat 5.9 g, mono 3.5 g, poly 0.7 g)

Carb: 44.5 g

Protein: 13.6 g

Fiber: 2.8 g

Chol: 38 mg

Iron: 1.1 mg

Sodium: 587 mg

Calc: 407 mg

Stolen from September 2007 Cooking Light issue, page 140.