Baked Potato Soup and Thank Yous

I love Marie Calendars potato cheese soup, and I have never found a potato soup recipe that I thought was better until now. Judy at Judy's Kitchen recently posted her recipe for Baked Potato Soup and it's so delicious. I think it tastes better than Marie's soup, and it's much lower in fat!

I cooked meatloaf and baked potatoes on Sunday and cooked extra baked potatoes to make this soup later in the week. It worked out great and made the soup so quick and easy to put together. Here's my version:

Baked Potato Soup

4 large baking potatoes
4 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
4 oz. Neufchatel cheese
2 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 14 oz. cans chicken broth
1 cup frozen corn
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
2 Tbsp. dried parsley
1 pint fat-free half and half
6 slices crisp-cooked bacon, crumbled
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Prick potatoes with a fork or knife. Bake in 400F oven for 1 hour or till potatoes are cooked through and soft inside; cool (I refrigeratored them for several days at this point). Remove skins and cut potatoes into chunks; set aside.

In 2 or 3-quart heavy pot, saute the onions in butter over medium heat till transparent. Stir in the Neufchatel cheese, followed by the flour, salt and pepper. Add the chicken broth as you continue stirring to make the mixture smooth. Add potatoes, corn, parsley, and red pepper flakes. Stir, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 10-15 minutes to blend flavors. Add half and half, crumbled bacon, and cheese and just heat through but do not bring to a boil. Yield: 6-8 servings

I have lots of thanks you to pass out.


First, thank you to Judy at Judy's Kitchen for passing on the Sisterhood Award to me! Judy's blog is filled with delicious recipes (like the potato soup recipe above). It's a great site to visit for dinner ideas! I'm really enjoying following her blog!

Thanks to Lynette at Netts Nook who passed on the Blogging with a Purpose Award to me saying mine was one of her ten favorite food blogs! How nice is that! Lynnette recently did a post on my favorite breakfast recipe ever Cranberry Cream Cheese Pull Aparts, so I know we love the same kinds of food.

I'm passing on both of these awards to all my blog followers!

Thanks to Lori at Recipe Girl, who hosted the Ultimate Superbowl Recipe Smackdown contest which I was lucky enough to win, I have a new addition to my computer room. My sad old ripped up desk chair that I have meant to replace for a long time has been replaced with a cushy new Serta chair from Sam's Club. I was so excited when my gift card arrived in the mail. I had such fun strolling around Sam's Club deciding what to buy. Be sure and checkout Lori's great new updated site and the Superbowl roundup, these recipes would be great at any party during the year.

I also need to thank my good blogging buddy HoneyB for her Yo-Plus gift bag giveaway that I was lucky enough to win! I tried the Strawberry flavor and it's now my favorite strawberry yogurt.

And last, but not least, thank you to Emily at Emily's Kitchen for the Blockbuster gift card giveaway. My kids will have such fun picking out video games! Emily just started her blog in December and her posts always make me smile, so be sure and visit. Thanks for the hug too!

Thank you again to everyone. I think I've had a lucky streak lately! Maybe I should have gone to Vegas!