Baked Potato and Broccoli Soup

Its getting colder here in Boston, so soup season has arrived in full force. I made this soup a few weeks ago and it was so good I decided to make it again. I first saw it on Annie's Eats but its originally from Cooking Light. How lovely that this cheese, potato, bacon soup could be considered light!

Approximate Times:

- 10 minutes of chopping

- 20 minutes of cooking total

Baked Potato and Broccoli Soup

¼ cup all-purpose flour

2 (14.5 oz) cans low sodium, fat-free chicken broth, divided

3 cups peeled, cubed potatoes (about 1.25 lbs)

2 cups broccoli florets, chopped (I just used frozen, its easy)

1 small onion, chopped

1 ¼ cups 2% reduced fat milk

1 (8 oz) block 2% reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

7 pieces of bacon, cooked and crumbled

2% reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese, shredded, for topping (optional) (I skip this)

chopped green onions for topping (optional) (I skip this too)

Freshly ground pepper (to taste)

Salt (to taste)

Directions:

1. Whisk together flour and 1/3 cup chicken broth until smooth.

2. Combine remaining chicken broth, potatoes, broccoli and onion in a big pot. Bring to a boil.

3. Cover the pot and turn down the heat to medium-low, let it simmer until the potatoes are tender (about 10 minutes).

4. Gradually stir in flour mixture. Cook, stirring often, 5 minutes.

5. I take my immersion blender and smooth out the pieces of broccoli and potato. I prefer this soup more creamy than chunky. Don't have an immersion blender? Well that stinks, you need one. Also, you can totally skip this step if you want a chunky soup!

6. Next, add the cheese and milk. Usually, when I add cheese to a soup I remove it from the heat first so that the cheese doesn't get that strange chunky/chalky feel to it. So take the pot and move it to another burner. Keep stirring until cheese melts. You can put it back on the burner on medium-low heat.

7. Add the bacon (note, it will get soft and lose the crunch so if you are texture person you won't like the bacon in the soup as leftovers because its a little squishy)

8. Add salt & pepper to taste. Top each serving of soup with shredded cheese and green onions as desired.

I don't add any extra cheese or bother to buy green onions because I always use just the  stalk and waste the rest. Plus C hates onions (little does he know they are in everything...but cooked)