Lightened Up Baked Potato Soup

Mother Nature is being sort of mean. Mean, mean.

Spring still hasn't decided to cooperate here in PA.  So even as we approach Easter weekend, I still find myself craving comfort foods to combat the cold weather outside.  Hopefully our local kiddos won't need to be hunting eggs knee deep in snow this year, although I wouldn't be surprised. 

This soup has all the flavors of a restaurant-style loaded baked potato.  It's fast enough for a weeknight, and it won't majorly set you back in your calorie intake since it uses low-fat/low-sodium ingredients whenever possible.  This is good news considering you probably ate about five peanut butter eggs today.  Which is why we're such good friends... great minds think alike.



Lightened Up Baked Potato Soup:
Serves 4-6

4 baking potatoes, about 2.5lbs
3 tablespoons butter, divided
small amount of onion, diced
small amount of celery, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 cup flour
5 cups milk (I used skim)
1 cup low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup part-skim shredded cheddar cheese
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup fat-free sour cream
6 slices low-sodium bacon, cooked and crumbled (optional)

Scrub potatoes under running water and pat dry.  Poke several holes in the potatoes with a fork to vent