A Bowl of Loaded Baked Potato

Some day I will post something that's not soup! I quite enjoy a good loaded baked potato. It’s one of my favorite meals. I’m a simple girl. The idea to make this soup came about when I had left over baked potatoes because I’d planned on the big kids (and their entourage) being here for a meal and they ditched us for something more fun. I bet they were disappointed and wishing they were home with their mother, don’t you?

Anyway, I had all these left-over baked potatoes and started my search to find something to do with them. Now, if I’m making a meal with baked potatoes, I will make extra so I can make this soup. This time of year, just making some baked potatoes is a nice way to warm up the kitchen.

The first time I made this was the confirmation that I have a level of lactose intolerance. I have some of the enzyme to digest lactose because I can tolerate small amounts of milk, cheese, sour cream, etc. I can’t tolerate regular milk in this recipe – within 10 minutes my stomach is burning and I’m miserable. I liked this soup so much that I tried it again just to be sure – same thing. I complained to Rich that soon I would be able to eat one kind of nut and one kind of berry! It’s really not that bad. I can handle the amount of dairy I usually eat and when I can’t, I use Lactaid milk and all is fine.

Our family loves the heartiness and warmth of this soup. I hope you do too!

It started with this recipe from Allrecipes.com: Baked Potato Soup. Their’s was a little thick and didn’t call for any seasoning – so I doctored it up a little bit. You can use left-over baked potatoes or you can just pop some in the microwave. I prefer the taste when baked in the oven.

1/3 cup           butter (I use the light whipped butter with canola oil)

1/3 cup           gluten-free flour

4 cups            2 % milk (I use Lactaid Milk)

6                    baked potatos, peeled and cubed

1 cup              sour cream

2 cups            vegetable broth

1 ½ tsp           onion flakes

1 ½ tsp           garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter on medium heat. Slowly stir in flour to make a roux. Cook for 5-10 min. being careful not to burn the roux. Slowly add the milk a little at a time, stirring so it doesn’t get lumpy until all the milk has been stirred in. Allow to thicken. Add diced potatoes, vegetable broth, onion flakes and garlic powder. Stir frequently so the milk doesn’t scald. Just before serving, add the sour cream and stir in well.

Serve with shredded cheddar cheese and bacon bits for garnish.

Nutrition facts for 349 grams of soup (excluding garnishes):

• Calories: 348
• Fat: 11.5
• Carbs: 48.7
• Fiber: 2
• Protein: 33.9