Homemade Baked Potato Soup

Today, in Virginia it is cold, rainy, and snowy. Yes, I said snowy. Snow isn't something that happens in October here. I haven't seen snow but there have been reports of snow and sleet in surrounding areas. It's best to stay home in your jammies and bundle up in quilts. :) I decided for dinner to make homemade baked potato soup. I got inspired from Pinterest which took me here. My husband and I really enjoyed this soup. We will def be making it again and again. :)

4 large baking potatoes (I cooked them in 20 min in my awesome pampered chef baker)

2/3 cup butter (which is about 11 tablespoons....I used unsalted)

2/3 cup flour

6 cups milk (I used fat free milk)

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

4 green onions (AKA: scallions......washed and chopped)

12 slices bacon (I baked in the oven at 400 degrees while potatoes were cooking for about 15-20 min.)

1 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

8 oz sour cream

Wash and poke holes in your baked potatoes. Add to your baker and put in microwave with the lid on and bake for 10 min., flip and then bake another 10 min. If you don't have the baker then you can bake your potatoes in the oven for about 1 hour or until tender. Once cool, cut potatoes lengthwise and spoon out the potato pulp then set aside. If you wanted to go for a more rustic soup you could probably chop up the skin and add it to your soup. I did not do that. I let Nate eat the skin. He loves the potato skin where as I don't care for it. :)

In your soup pot, melt your butter on low. Once melted add your flour. Stirring constantly until smooth. Cook for 1 min. Over medium heat, gradually add your milk until thick and bubbly. Then add the potato pulp, salt, pepper, 2tbs green onion, 1/2 cup bacon, 1 cup of cheese and cook until heated all the way through. Then stir in your sour cream. It should be thick. If it's not just add some more milk. Garnish your bowl of soup with some more cheese, bacon and green onions. And don't forget the bread. I picked up a fresh baguette from my grocery bakery but I know the farmhouse french loaf would be excellent with this soup.

I left the soup pot with the lid on and let it simmer a bit on low b/c Nate had to go run an errand. I found the soup to be very delicious and very filling. :) A perfect dinner for a dreary, drab day. :)

UPDATE:
The next day my husband "killed the rest of the soup" and had it for lunch. :) It was really good and so easy to make.