Loaded Potato Soup is one of my favorite guilty pleasures. It is so warm and comforting, on a cold day there is just nothing better. Although I do love it, I always feel so full and heavy after I have it, until now. I have come up with a way to lighten up this soup and it is genius, my boyfriend couldn’t even tell the difference! So what I have done is, cut out half the potato amount that is usually in baked potato soup and substituted it with cauliflower. When you blend the cauliflower with the potatoes and broth, you get the most velvety texture. The cauliflower takes on the potato and bacon flavor so you don’t even realize that you are eating a soup with half the calories! Y’all- I can already tell that this soup is definitely going to be a staple in my fridge this winter!
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Prep Time:
10m
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Cook Time:
30m
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Total Time:
40m
Ingredients
- 2 slices of bacon
- ½ large white onion, or 1 small one, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 russet baking potato, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks, about 2 cups
- 1 small head cauliflower, cut into 1 inch pieces, about 3 cups
- 1 qt chicken stock
- 2 scallions, sliced, for topping
- 1/4 c cheddar cheese, grated for topping
Instructions
- Cook the bacon in 2 teaspoons of olive oil over medium heat in a Dutch oven. When the bacon is finished cooking, remove from the pan and set aside.
- Pour the onions in the Dutch oven and cook in the leftover bacon grease. Cook the onions for 10-14 minutes or until they are translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Add the potatoes to the pan and then the cauliflower 4 minutes later. (The potatoes will take a little longer to cook.) After you have added the cauliflower, add in the chicken stock.
- Bring the pot to a boil and then lower to a simmer. Cook the vegetables for 20-25 minutes or until they are tender.
- When the potatoes and cauliflower are tender, turn off the heat. Using either an emersion blender or a regular blender, blend the soup until smooth.
- Season the soup with salt and pepper.
- To serve, ladle the soup into a bowl. Top with some reserved bacon crumbles, chopped scallions and some cheddar cheese. Enjoy!
xo, Rachel
