Bacon Cheddar Potato Soup

Now it is officially Fall and the weather is starting to get cooler and its time for the 3 S's. Sweaters, Scarves, and of course Soup! One of my favorite types of soup is anything with potatoes in it. I absolutely love the Loaded Baked Potato soup at Cheesecake Factory and the Bacon Potato soup at the Daily Grind. My love for these soups led me to try to make my own potato soup from scratch. I made this for the family and everyone enjoyed it!!

• 4 tbs butter
• 4 medium sized potatoes
• 1/2 onion (chopped finely)
• 3 tbs all-purpose flour
• 4 cups milk
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup bacon chopped (I used Real Bacon Bits from a bag since they are already chopped)
  
• 1 cup sour cream ( i used light to save on calories)
  

The first thing you are going to want to do will be to wash your potatoes and then wrap them in saran wrap and either place them in the oven or the microwave to cook. I chose to cook mine in the microwave for a total of 7 minutes.




While your potatoes are cooking, you will need to chop up 1/2 of an onion very finely and then add it to the 4 tbs of butter in the saucepan on the stove. Cook the onions until they turn translucent and then add the flour and milk.

(Side note: I will have to admit this was my first time chopping an onion and boy was I crying in the kitchen. My eyes were tearing up so badly that I had to stop every few seconds and walk away. So if you have any tips for chopping an onion without crying please let me know)

Next you will add the salt, pepper and paprika. Then bring the mixture to a slight boil and continue to stir until the soup starts to thicken.

As your soup mixture is thickening on medium heat, you will retrieve the cooked potatoes from the microwave. You will need to peel the potatoes and then proceed to cut the potatoes in 1 inch cubes. If you do not enjoy the larger chunks of potato in your soup, you can also cut the potatoes smaller. You will add this to the soup and then cook for 10 minutes to allow the potatoes to gain the flavor.



Next you will add the cheese and bacon and stir the soup. Allow it to cook for another 5 minutes on the stove before adding the sour cream to the soup and stir.

Kristen gives this soup a thumbs up and a request for a second bowl!