Chunky Baked Potato Chowder
This simple, hearty soup is thick, creamy and full of flavor. With vegetables, dairy, meat and potatoes, it's got a good blend of macro- and micro-nutrients. Perfect for warming up on a chilly day!
Ingredients
- 2 slices bacon
- 1 cup chopped onion (about 1)
- ½ cup chopped carrot (about 1)
- ½ cup chopped celery (about 2 stalks)
- 4 cups low fat 1% milk
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 3 russet potatoes, baked and cut into bite size pieces
Directions
- In a large skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Remove from pan, crumble and set aside. Add onion, carrot and celery to bacon drippings and sauté over medium heat until onions are soft (about 10 minutes).
- Meanwhile, in a large pot over medium heat, whisk together milk, flour, paprika, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and stir for one minute. Reduce heat and slowly add in cheese, stir constantly until melted. Add cooked onions, carrots, celery, and potatoes. Stir well. Heat until all ingredients are warm. Serve with a sprinkling of bacon crumbles.
Cook's Tips
Remember you can always adjust a recipe to your taste. A few variations include the following.
- For a thicker, creamier soup, remove two cups of chowder and puree in a blender. Then pour back into the pot and stir thoroughly.
- For bacon lovers, add more bacon. We made a batch with five strips and incorporated them into the soup, then let it rest so the flavors had time to meld. Pork heaven.
- Similarly cheese lovers might choose to serve it with some extra shredded cheese on top.
- If you want to get more vegetables in your diet, add more carrots and celery.
- One cook was inspired to try it with sweet potatoes.
