[Green] Baked Potato Soup

Growing up I remember my mom’s potato soup on cold winter nights and since I’m a meat-and-potatoes girl at heart, potato soup often comes up on our menu once the temperature drops.  Originally I tweaked my mom’s recipe to turn it into at Baked Potato Soup.

This last time I made this soup is was particularly special because I used potatoes from our garden.  So yummy!  I added the [Green] before the recipe because when I made it this time around I added pureed zucchini to add a few more nutrients.  HandyMan said he could taste the zucchini a little, but I couldn’t. I may be becoming immune to the flavor of the zucchinis.  I did change the texture a bit but overall the finished product was pretty good.

The premise of the Baked Potato Soup is that you start with the soup as your base and pile on whatever you would want on a baked potato.  For us this has included steamed broccoli, grated cheddar cheese, bacon bits, chopped chives and even chili.  The list could go on as far as the reaches of your imagination.  By adding the broccoli (and the zucchini in the Green version) you add a bit of vegetables to this starchy comfort food and a bit more nutrition.

I cooked the entire package of bacon and put remaining bacon strips in the fridge to use for meals later in the week, like egg sandwiches or on top of salads.  The flavor for this recipe really comes from the bacon drippings left after you’ve cooked the meat.

[Green] Baked Potato Soup

2 lbs Potatoes, scrubbed, peeled and chopped.

1 onions, chopped

2 cups Milk

1 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Pepper

[2 cups Pureed Zucchini]

1/2 lb smoked Bacon

4 cups Water (less if using Zucchini)

Soup Toppings: Steamed broccoli, bacon bits, shredded cheese, chives, etc.

Directions

1. Boil your potatoes in a large stock pot until fork tender.



2. Drain potatoes and put potatoes in a different bowl.

3. Cook your bacon in your stock pot until it reaches your preferred crispiness. Remove bacon, but leave drippings in the pot.



4. Add onions and sauté until clear.



5. Add milk, salt, pepper, water and [zucchini puree if you so choose] to the pot. If you want a smoother soup base, puree this mixture with an immersion blender.



6. Once the base is as smooth as you would like it, add the potatoes back into the pot. The liquid base should cover the potatoes, if not; add more water until the potatoes are covered.

7. Allow to come to a boil. Once soup is hot all the way through, gently mash with a potato masher to break the potatoes into soup size pieces. Again – this is a matter of preference. To mash or not to mash is up to you.

8. Serve with your soup toppings and enjoy.



Click here for a printable version of this recipe.

Updated 10/7/2010 - If you've landed here from LifeAsMom's Ultimate Recipe Swap - welcome!  I made this last fall about this time and it will be on my menu again as soon as we get around to digging up this year's potatoes.  I love that there's extra veggies hidden in this soup to make it a little healthier for me and  my family!