Ohio has been dreary the last two days. After work on Monday I skipped my workout “because my achilles was a little sore” (kind of a true story 😉 ) after my hockey game on Sunday night. And it was…a little…but nothing out of the ordinary for me. I really just wanted an excuse to veg out after a busy weekend…I’ll admit it! So when I hopped on the treadmill after work yesterday, I was shocked to find my legs lead-like again. Humph. About 3.5 miles into my 4 mile run I glance down to see that the incline was set at 2.5%. Oops. Not sure how that happened, but the last 1/2 mile was easy breezy after knocking the incline down to 0.5%. Those incline runs are killer, especially when you do it without knowing! I typically run on a 0.5% to 1% incline, but 2.5% proved to be much more challenging…and not in a fun way! Undercover Boss on the DVR occupied my mind from the struggle pretty well though, I’d say 😉
After surfacing from our basement gym, I found no improvements in the weather and was all the more excited for pure comfort food: Loaded Potato Soup! There’s something about cooler weather that makes soups all the more satisfying!
The recipe calls for cooked potatoes, so I washed, pierced, and wrapped my potatoes in tin foil before placing them in the crock pot on low all day (about 8-9 hours)*. When I got home they were ready to go!
Loaded Potato Soup from Cooking Light
4 (6-ounce) red potatoes
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 1/4 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cups 1% milk, divided
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
3 turkey bacon slices, halved
1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4 tsp thinly sliced green onions
Directions:
Pierce potatoes with a fork. Microwave on HIGH 13 minutes or until tender. Cut in half; cool slightly. *Or cook potatoes in the crock pot as detailed above.
While potatoes cook, heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 3 minutes. Add broth. Combine flour and 1/2 cup milk; add to pan with 1 1/2 cups milk. Bring to a boil SLOWLY (you don’t want the milk to curdle!). Cook 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in sour cream, salt, and pepper.
Arrange bacon on a paper towel on a microwave-safe plate. Cover with a paper towel; microwave on HIGH for 4 minutes. Crumble bacon.
Discard potato skins. Coarsely mash potatoes into soup. Top with cheese, green onions, and bacon. Yield: 4 servings (about 1 1/4 cup each).
Nutrition Information (per serving): 325 calories; 11.1 g. fat; 27 mg. cholesterol; 670 mg. sodium; 43.8 g. carbohydrate; 3 g. fiber; 13.2 g. protein
Result: This was delicious! On a scale of 1-10, Mr. P gave the soup a 7.5 and I would give it an 8.5. Like Mr. P said to me over dinner, potato soup is one of those foods that can be outrageously unhealthy, and that’s why it tastes SO good. Given that this was a slimmed down version of a standard loaded potato soup, I do feel it captured all the flavors and richness. We both agreed that we would make it again. Plus, it’s super quick and can come together in 15 minutes or less…always a bonus. 😀
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“Mommy, are all of bumps on me wrinkles or jelly rolls?”
At least she still fits into her Halloween costume…BARELY!
Question: What’s your all time favorite soup? And do you eat soup during the warmer months?
P.S. Don’t forget to enter my giveaway to win a MANDOLINE! There will be 2 lucky winners! The giveaway ends TONIGHT at 9pm EST and the winners will be announced tomorrow! 😀
Happy halfway to Friday!
I’m a fan of soup year-round…it’s such a comforting meal! I love potato soups like this, and what a great idea to cook the potatoes in the crock pot so they’re ready for you when you get home from work! Lily’s costume is absolutely adorable!!
I love this cheese soup that my mom made while I was growing up. It is literally the best soup I have ever had – melts in your mouth!
Stuffed pepper soup from my Gooseberry Patch Autum cookbook is my all time fave soup…..with crusty bread and a salad! It’s a must for fall weather!
Soup looks awesome!! I love most soups except here it always seems too hot for soup.
The GOOD thing about running on the incline is that you burned more calories without even realizing it! Awesomeness.
This soup sounds SO incredibly tasty! I love how potato soup is creamy without actually having to add cream.
Whoa, no wonder!!! Anything over a .5 incline, and I start to seriously struggle, ha!
I don’t think there is ANYthing wrong with wanting to veg after a busy weekend! You are one busy girl – you deserve it. 🙂
I have only had potato soup a few times because, like you said, it can be so rich and almost too much sometimes! But I love this version. And any Cooking Light recipe does it for me.
I’m boring: My favorite soup is vegetable. I used to love Panera’s vegetarian vegetable soup–it was seriously some of the best ever–until they changed the recipe. Now it’s kind of gross.
Ooo I remember cutting this recipe out of Cooking Light when I first saw it, but I usually always stick to my mom’s amazing baked potato soup recipe. However, I’d have to say that good ol’ minestrone is my fav!
hahhahah lilly is so cute and funny. love her! I’m a fan of broccoli cheddar soup but i know it’s horrible as far as nutrition stats go. Can you create a lower cal and lower fat version for us pretty please?
I love soups and this one looks so creamy and rich…very delicious one…
Wow the soup looks really rich and delicious! Lilly looks so sweet.
I love soup in when the weather is cold and my fav. soup is chicken noodle soup.
Yes, ohio has been dreary! It’s the perfect weather to stay inside and bundle up! This weekend is supposed to be CHILLY 50 degrees-ish. Ug
I’m not a big soup person but thicker soups like this I can handle! Perhaps I’ll have to give it a try this weekend!
Love days after work when you do nothing but veg out! They are the best especially when it is rainy!
I love the traditional chicken noodle or veggie soup, but my all time favorite is chili right now. However, I love a good rich and creamy soup like potato. This recipe looks great!
I typically stick to soup when it’s cool. Homemade is so much better than canned too!
Soup is my favourite dinner. Hands down.
I LOVE soup!! Soup and sandwiches are my favorite foods. 🙂 I do eat it all year long, just less in the summer because I get too hot. Potato soup is my all time favorite, so I will have to try this one!!
I love loaded potato soup! I’ve never tried making it at home before though… I think I’ve probably only had it at O’Charley’s. My favorite soup ever is my mom’s vegetable beef soup – it’s the perfect cold weather food!! 🙂
Oh YUM!!! This looks so comforting and delicious! Hubby and I are both soup addicts- I make it all the time!
I really like plain ol’ vegetable soup. And any time of year.
haha, Mark is so funny! It’s true, it can be REALLY unhealthy, and that usually when it tastes the best. However, if you can create a great recipe that is on the lighter side, I’m always up for that instead!
I love soup. I typically do a lot of broths with just chunks of chicken or beef, and tons of veggies and spices! No more garlic this year though 🙁 I’ll have to find a new spice for my soup!
I need to make this ASAP! Holy yum.
One of my favorites is broccoli cheddar, but chicken wild rice may take the cake.
I love the concept of loaded potato soup. I don’t really eat soup while it’s hot so I definitely looking forward to making vegetarian chili and Senegalese peanut stew. Yum, yum.
I am bookmarking this recipe! I love that it is a “slimmed down” version of one of my favorites! My absolute favorite is chicken, basil and orzo soup, which I discovered last winter and made it almost every week until it was just too hot! Chicken soup=comfort 🙂
I love soup in the fall and winter time. I will be trying that real soon but in moderation of course 🙂
And <3 the tutu!!
I’m a huge soup fan and this looks very yummy! I can’t believe you didn’t notice the incline sooner – at least you got a great workout in 🙂