Baked Potato Soup

I made this on Monday, March 9th. I found this recipe on Barbara Bakes. She always has a lot of wonderful looking recipes on her blog. Check her out!

The soup looked yummy and it was sooooo delicious! The recipe itself was very easy and not very time consuming (except for waiting for the potatoes to cook). I made this Monday. I didn't get to taste it until late since I had to leave for tae kwon do. My son finished the last step for me. I would definitely make this again and again. I took it to work and the two girls that tried it, raved about it. I added cheese on top of my bowl of soup. Yum!

Ingredients:

4 large baking potatoes
4 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
4 oz. Neufchatel cheese
2 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 14 oz. cans chicken broth
1 cup frozen corn
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
2 Tbsp. dried parsley
1 pint fat-free half and half (I used regular, not fat free)
6 slices crisp-cooked bacon, crumbled (made a couple extra slices for my son)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

Prick potatoes with a fork or knife. Bake in 400F oven for 1 hour or till potatoes are cooked through and soft inside; cool. Remove skins and cut potatoes into chunks; set aside.

In 2 or 3-quart heavy pot, saute the onions in butter over medium heat till transparent. Stir in the Neufchatel cheese, followed by the flour, salt and pepper. Add the chicken broth as you continue stirring to make the mixture smooth. Add potatoes, corn, parsley, and red pepper flakes.
Stir, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 10-15 minutes to blend flavors. Add half and half, crumbled bacon, and cheese and just heat through but do not bring to a boil.

Yield: 6-8 servings