I used to craaaaave baked potato soup when I was pregnant [I'm not now, don't get any ideas]. I never used to think of this soup as something special, but oh my. I couldn't eat enough potatoes when I was pregnant. Baked, fried, mashed, whatever. But the baked potato soup was at the top of the potato kingdom in my book.
The other day, I saw this recipe on one of my favorite Instagram blogger's posts.
I tweaked the recipe a bit to make it a little easier for myself to follow next time. It was delicious! I portioned it into 6 servings, which works out to 350 calories per generous serving. Not too shabby!
You really will add wayyyy more salt and pepper than you think you should. But, just think that you're using 8 full potatoes. That's allloottttaaa potato that needs some delicious seasoning from you, my friend.
Baked Potato Soup
8 Russet potatoes, scrubbed clean and dried
6 tbs. butter, divided
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups chicken stock
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tbs. olive oil
1 package bacon bits (the “real” bacon kind)
1 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
2 green onions, diced
Preheat oven to 350.
Stab the potatoes all over with a fork (about 8 times per potato). Place all 8 potatoes on one rack in the oven, spacing them out as much as possible. Bake until potatoes are cooked through (about an hour and a half or more). Allow to cool so you can work with the potatoes.
Cut potatoes in half and scoop the insides into a large bowl. Shred or chop the potato skins and set aside.
In a large Dutch oven or skillet, melt 4 tbs. butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook until translucent (about 8 minutes), stirring occasionally. Add garlic and flour; stir constantly until flour is cooked and has coated the onions (about 2 minutes). Stir in the chicken stock and whisk to combine. Bring to a simmer, add potato insides, then lower the heat to medium-low. Season liberally with salt and pepper, to taste.
In a separate skillet, melt remaining 2 tbs. butter and olive oil over medium-high heat. Add potato skins and sauté until crisp (about 5 minutes), stirring occasionally.
To the soup, add potato skins, bacon bits, cheddar cheese, sour cream, and green onions. Stir to combine and cook over low heat until heated through and cheese is melted.
Garnish with cheese, green onion, sour cream, and bacon bits.
