Soup's On: Baked Potato Soup

Happy Leap Day and Welcome to the Soup's On Recipe Link Up!

I am excited to share this recipe with you, it is DELICIOUS!
Baked Potato Soup

Here is what you need:
4 russet potatoes
8-10 slices of bacon
6 cups of milk
1 can Chicken broth (14 oz)
1/4 c flour
2 cups cheddar cheese, divided
3 stalks of celery
2 Tablespoons Butter
Chopped onion/garlic
Green onions
Salt & Pepper, to taste.

First you need to prep your potatoes. I wrapped mine in foil and baked them for 1 hour in a 400 degree oven.
After they cooled, I scooped out the insides of the potatoes & set them aside in a bowl.
But, next time I make this soup, I am going to prep my potatoes differently.
I am going to peel my potatoes, dice them in 1 inch cubes & then boil them for 20-25 minutes.
So, it is up to you on how you want to cook your potatoes, either way is fine!

As your potatoes are cooking, cut up your bacon into pieces.

Cook your bacon in the pot that you are going to make your soup in.

When your bacon is done cooking, place it on a paper towel to cool.
(Leave some of the bacon grease in the pot)

Dice up the celery.

And, dice up the onion & garlic.
I am a cheater & have sensitve eyes, so I always buy the pre-packaged diced up onion & garlic.
Put the celery, onion & garlic in the pot with the bacon grease.

Saute' for 10 minutes until the veggies soften up.
Once they are cooked, set aside.
Get your milk out & measure out 6 cups.
(I like a creamy soup, so I did 4 cups of milk & 2 cups of half & half.)
You can use just milk if you prefer. 2% milk is fine to keep it healthier.
Non-fat might not be creamy enough, in my opinion!
In your empty pot, add 2 TB butter & let it melt.
Then add 1/4 cup flour & a splash of milk.

Whisk together on low heat for a few minutes.
The flour is a thickening agent for the soup. Whisk until there are no more clumps.
Slowly add more milk if you need to.

Add in the rest of the milk & pour in your can of Chicken Broth.

Heat for 10 minutes until bubbly. Stir every few minutes.
Turn heat to simmer & add celery/onion mixture, potato chunks and salt/pepper to taste.
Add 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese to the soup.

Stir until melted.

Once the cheese has melted, your soup is ready to serve!
I top the soup with a little more cheese, the bacon & diced green onions.
It's like a loaded Baked Potato. Yum.

I like serving this soup in Bread Bowls!
Go Big or Go Home!

This soup is DELICIOUS.
It is a little more time consuming then most of my recipes, but it is SO worth it.
It is a hearty meal, perfect for a rainy day (that we are finally getting today!)

Now, it's time to link up YOUR recipes!
Grab a button & be sure to link back.


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Go visit others who have linked up, it's always fun to get new recipes!
Leave some comment love for people you visit...let them know you stopped by!
I can't wait to see YOUR recipes!
The linky will be open until next Wednesday March 7th.