Baked Potato Soup

Soup is the perfect winter food, yet I hardly ever make it. In fact, in the past 16 months that I've had this blog I've only made soup twice. But this recipe from Rachel's blog made me want soup a lot more often! This soup rocks! It's rich and creamy and pretty close to perfect. In an attempt to lighten the recipe a bit I used skim milk and turkey bacon, but you certainly couldn't notice the lighter ingredients in this delicious soup - it tastes like super creamy mashed potatoes. I'll definitely make this again soon!

Baked Potato Soup

4 baking potatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds)
2/3 cup all-purpose flour (about 3 ounces)
6 cups 2% reduced-fat milk (I used skim)
1 cup (4 ounces) reduced-fat shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1 teaspoon salt (I used more)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (I used more)
1 cup reduced-fat sour cream
3/4 cup chopped green onions, divided (I omitted)
6 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled (I used turkey bacon)
Cracked black pepper (optional)

Preheat oven to 400°.
Pierce potatoes with a fork; bake at 400° for 1 hour or until tender. Cool. Peel potatoes; coarsely mash. (I microwaved the potatoes for about 20 minutes, then scooped out the insides.)
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Place flour in a large Dutch oven; gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly (about 8 minutes). Add mashed potatoes, 3/4 cup cheese, salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, stirring until cheese melts. Remove from heat.
Stir in sour cream and 1/2 cup onions. Cook over low heat 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated (do not boil). Ladle 1 1/2 cups soup into each of 8 bowls. Sprinkle each serving with 1 1/2 teaspoons cheese, 1 1/2 teaspoons onions, and about 1 tablespoon bacon. Garnish with cracked pepper, if desired.