Loaded Potato Soup - Revisited

I love potato soup, and I found a great recipe that I blogged about in one of my first posts Not So Loaded Baked Potato Soup, Cooking Light - Lighter Loaded Baked Potato Soup. I wanted to make it again, while still avoiding cream, but still make it a little different...in changes from the original, I used turkey bacon in place of regular, added mashed roasted garlic, and fat free sour cream instead of reduced fat. The biggest change was not to mash the potatoes, instead I coarsely chopped them. Although I loved the first time I made it, leaving the potato in chunks added great texture and reduced the graininess that mashed potatoes can have in soup.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

4 baking potatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds)
2/3 cup all-purpose flour (about 3 ounces)
6 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
1 cup (4 ounces) reduced-fat shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese ,divided
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 cloves of roasted garlic, mashed

1 cup fat-free sour cream

3/4 cup chopped green onions, divided
6 turkey bacon slices, crumbled

Preheat oven to 400°.Pierce potatoes with a fork; bake at 400° for 1 hour or until tender. Cool. Peel potatoes; coarsely chop.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Place flour in a large Dutch oven; gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly (about 8 minutes).

Add mashed potatoes, 3/4 cup cheese, salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and roasted garlic, stirring until cheese melts. Remove from heat. Stir in sour cream and 1/2 cup onions. Cook over low heat 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated (do not boil).

Ladle 1 1/2 cups soup into each of 8 bowls. Sprinkle each serving with 1 1/2 teaspoons cheese, 1 1/2 teaspoons onions, and about 1 tablespoon bacon. Garnish with cracked pepper, if desired.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: about 1 1/2 cups soup, 1 1/2 teaspoons cheese, 1 1/2 teaspoons onions, and about 1 tablespoon bacon)