There’s nothing more soul-satisfying on a cold winter night than a nourishing bowl of soup for supper. And for those who know me even just a little bit, will confirm that I’m that always-freezing chick who is bundled up in long johns and ready to slurp soup anytime the thermometer plunges below 70 F degrees.  Soup is a beautiful thing. Not only is soup easy to whip up and low-mess (it’s a one-pot meal), the leftovers are often better the next day. For dinner tonight I made Lightened Yet Still Loaded Baked Potato Soup, a recipe I tweaked and adapted from a 10-year old recipe in Cooking Light magazine (9/2007).

Don’t worry about sabotaging your diet with this make-over recipe; it’s relatively low in calories and fat compared to the naughty restaurant equivalents. For example, 12-ounces of Baked Potato Soup at Outback Steakhouse has an impressive 514 calories and 53 grams of fat (24 saturated) compared to this lightened version that has just 346 calories and less 11.7 grams of fat (7.3 saturated). Calorie-counters could always skip the bacon, but that wouldn’t be any fun.

By the way, if you’re already drooling over the tantalizing photo, you can thank my dear mom and dad for helping get your appetite worked up – they gifted me with a brand new camera for my food photography! Kisses!

Lightened Yet Still Loaded Baked Potato Soup Recipe

• 2 ½ lbs Russet potatoes
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 6 cups 1% reduced-fat milk
• 1 cup (4 ounces) reduced-fat shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese, divided
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup (8-ounces) light sour cream
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions
• 6 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled

Wash potatoes and pat dry. Pierce potatoes with a fork and microwave together for 15 – 20 minutes (turning every 5 minutes) until tender. Cool to handle under cold water.  Peel potatoes; coarsely mash in large bowl.

Place flour in a large Dutch oven or stock pot; gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly, approximately 8 – 10 minutes. Add mashed potatoes, 3/4 cup cheese, salt, and pepper, stirring until cheese melts. Remove from heat.

Stir in sour cream. Cook over low heat 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated taking care not to let soup  boil. Ladle 1 1/2 cups soup into each of 8 bowls. Sprinkle each serving with 1 1/2 teaspoons cheese, 1 1/2 teaspoon onions, and about 1 tablespoon bacon.