Baked Potato Soup

For those nights you want a warm comforting meal. See below for diet and faster versions:)

Baked Potato Soup

5 cups baked potato insides
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 medium onion
2 cups chicken stock1 1/2 cup half n half
1/2 cup sour cream
4 cups milk
1/4- 1/2 cup cheddar cheese (depending on how much you want)
8 strips cooked bacon, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
Chives for garnish

Heat olive oil in soup pot on med heat. Add onions and cook until soft. Add baked potato insides and chicken stock. You can keep the skins to make potato skins or discard them. I usually cut my potatoes in half and then squeeze out the insides so they are already bit sized going into the soup. Bring to a simmer. Stir in half and half, sour cream and milk. Try not to boil, if it gets too hot the milk products may burn. Season with salt and pepper. I like my soup a little thicker so I take out a portion of the soup and blend it in a blender when added back to the pot it makes the overall soup a little thicker. Just a tip. Add Cheese and bacon but reserve a little for garnish. Heat through. When ready to serve you can top with more cheese, bacon, chives and a little dollop of sour cream.


For diet version (pictured above)
Use: fat free sour cream, fat free milk, low sodium chicken stock and turkey bacon.

For Faster cooking time:
You can bake your potatoes in the microwave. Takes about 7 min. for one potato. Just poke holes in the potatoes. You can also buy already cooked bacon that just needs heated in the microwave.