Laura Bush's Baked Potato Soup

Hadice's Note:

One more from the First Lady's collection of recipes.

• Total Time: 25 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 6 cups left over mashed potatoes
• 2 tablespoons butter or 2 tablespoons margarine
• 1 medium onion , diced
• ½ lb bacon , diced,cooked and drained well (freeze bacon for easier cutting)
• 1 large red pepper , diced
• 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese , grated
• ½ cup chives , minced
• 4 tablespoons sour cream
• 2 -3 cups whipping cream or 2 -3 cups half-and-half or 2 -3 cups milk
• kosher salt
• fresh ground pepper

Directions:

1. In a large soup pot, saute onions and red pepper over medium heat in 2 tablespoons butter until onions are clear.
2. Add bacon, potatoes and whipping cream to desired consistency.
3. Skim milk or chicken stock may be used to reduce calories.
4. Salt and pepper to taste.
5. Warm.
6. Serve with a garnish of a dollop of sour cream, grated cheese and chives.

Reviews

[LonghornMama]

Enjoyed this! My mashed potatoes were pretty thick, so I ended up adding about 4 cups of 1% milk. Wasn't sure where to add the cheese, so stirred in 1 1/2 cups, and used the rest as garnish along with extra crumbled crisp bacon and green onions. Enjoyed the addition of diced red pepper in the soup both for color and taste. A great way to use up a lot of leftover mashed potatoes. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

[JC in Texas]

We had this for dinner last night. It was the perfect meal for when you want to eat "light." We used milk and the consistency was perfect. Thanks.