Loaded Baked Potato Soup

This post was written in partnership with Tasteful Selections.

I love a tender baked potato loaded with toppings. But in the chilly winter months, I want something that's more of a "stick to your ribs" kind of food. For me, that would be a hearty, steaming bowl of soup.

I set out to create a soup that incorporated all the delicious flavors of a baked potato in a thick, creamy soup. If you are skipping carbs, you'll want to skip this soup. It's loaded with delicious carb after carb and is the perfect comfort food to cuddle up with when binging on your favorite Netflix series.

To prepare this soup, I used my go-to, bagged potatoes from Tasteful Selections. They are easy to prep, are full of flavor, and cook quickly. 

LOADED BAKED POTATO SOUP

Ingredients
3 slices of bacon, cut in half
6-8 Tasteful Selections honey gold potatoes, cubed
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 medium carrots, grated
1 small onion, diced
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk

Optional garnishes: scallions, shredded cheddar cheese, crumbled bacon

Preparation
1. In a large saucepan, fry bacon until crisp, drain on a paper towel.

2. To the bacon drippings in the pan, add potatoes, celery, carrots, onion, salt, pepper, water, and broth. Cook covered for about 15 minutes or until potatoes are fork-tender.

3. Combine flour with a 1/4 cup of milk. Whisk until smooth. Add to potato mixture along with the remaining milk. Stir to incorporate ingredients.

4. Cook over medium heat until mixture boils. Turn heat to low and cook for 5 minutes.

5. Garnish with desired toppings and serve.

Not only is Tasteful Selections producing delicious and high quality potatoes, its also giving back to the community. Tasteful Selections is donating profits from specially marked bags of Ruby Sensation and Honey Gold potatoes to support your local Katie’s Krops grower. Katie’s Krops growers are part of a non-profit organization empowering children and teens ages 9 – 16 across the US to grow gardens and donate their fresh harvest to the hungry.

To learn more about Katie's Krops, visit the web site or follow on Facebook.

Click here to see another way I prepared Tasteful Selections Honey Gold potatoes and click here to see how I prepared Tasteful Selections Ruby Sensation potatoes.

This post was written in partnership with Tasteful Selections.