Loaded Baked Potato Soup: Redux

November 20, 2012 // By : amybites // Tags: , , , , , , , ,

So this is a new thing I’m starting. I’m sure those of you that are also food bloggers experience this: you look back at your early posts and you think, “Wow, I could do so much better now.” Some of the older recipes on this blog are still some of my favorites, but maybe the photography just doesn’t do the recipe justice (yikes…I’m definitely no expert, but I’ve improved a lot). Or maybe I’ve been making the recipe regularly since I’ve posted it and I’ve made a tweak or two to get even better results. With that said, welcome to amyBITES: Redux. Every so often I’ll post one of my favorite old recipes that’s already been posted here, but with new photos and maybe a few little modifications to the recipe itself.

This recipe, originally posted just over two years ago, is one of my standbys. I absolutely love it. It’s so easy to throw together and it’s just plain comfort food. I mean, it’s a loaded baked potato in soup form. How can that not be good? Even though the original recipe was almost perfect, one thing that always bugged me was the step of microwaving the bacon. It just always seemed like extra work and an extra dish to wash for a not-so-great reward. Microwaving bacon yields inconsistent results, and you’re really not getting the most out of the meat. It almost seemed pointless going to that extra trouble for a few sad little crumbles.

Then, it hit me: why not cook the bacon in the same pan as the soup, and use the bacon fat to cook the onions instead of olive oil? It just makes sense. Not only are you making life easier on yourself, but you’re increasing the flavor of the soup by leaps and bounds. This one small change makes such an obvious difference in the final flavor of the soup—it’s amazing. You really get that savory, smoky flavor in every bite of this silky soup instead of just in the garnish. And the soup itself, as always, is incredibly creamy and inviting. I’ve just amped up the flavor. And the nutrition stats on my new version are actually better than the original! If the original recipe was one of your favorites, I hope you’ll try this one minor modification with totally major results. Enjoy!

Loaded Baked Potato Soup: Redux

Adapted from this post, originally from Cooking Light
Serves 4

  • 24 oz. red potatoes
  • ½ cup onion, chopped
  • 1¼ cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups 1% low-fat milk, divided
  • ¼ cup reduced-fat sour cream
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 center cut bacon slices, cut in ½” pieces
  • ⅓ cup shredded low-fat cheddar cheese
  • 2 green onions, thinly sliced
  1. Pierce potatoes with a fork. Microwave on high for 13 minutes or until tender. Cut in half; cool slightly.
  2. While potatoes cook, place bacon in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook until crispy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove bacon pieces with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel. Set aside.
  3. Add onion to bacon fat; sauté 3 minutes. Add broth. Combine flour and ½ cup milk; add to pan with 1½ cups milk. Bring to a boil; stir often. Cook 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in sour cream, salt, and pepper.
  4. Partially or completely discard potato skins. Add potatoes to soup. Use an immersion blender to partially blend potatoes into soup until desired consistency, or use a potato masher to coarsely mash potatoes into soup.
  5. Top with cheese, green onions, and reserved bacon pieces.