Baked Potato-and-Bacon Soup

Bake the potatoes and shred the cheese the day before making the soup. If the soup needs to simmer awhile on the stove, you may need to add more chicken broth.

Yield: 18 servings (serving size: 1 cup soup, about 1 teaspoon bacon, about 1 tablespoon cheese, and about 1 tablespoon green onions)

Ingredients

• 5 1/4  pounds  baking potatoes
• 7  bacon slices
• 4 1/2  cups  chopped onion
• 1  teaspoon  salt
• 5  garlic cloves, minced
• 1  bay leaf
• 7 1/2  cups  1% low-fat milk
• 3/4  teaspoon  black pepper
• 3  cups  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1/3  cup  chopped fresh parsley (optional)
• 1 1/4  cups  sliced green onions
• 1 1/4  cups  (5 ounces) finely shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°.

Pierce potatoes with a fork; bake at 400° for 1 hour or until tender. Cool slightly. Partially mash potatoes, including skins, with a potato masher; set aside.

Cook bacon in a Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan; crumble. Add onion to bacon drippings in pan; sauté 5 minutes. Add salt, garlic, and bay leaf; sauté 2 minutes. Add potato, milk, pepper, and broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in parsley, if desired. Top individual servings with bacon, green onions, and cheese.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

237 (30% from fat)

Fat:

7.8g (sat 3.5g,mono 3.1g,poly 0.8g)

Protein:

10.5g

Carbohydrate:

31.8g

Fiber:

3.1g

Cholesterol:

15mg

Iron:

2mg

Sodium:

394mg

Calcium:

228mg