Create a tasty soup without the cream

By Kathy Manweiler

Baked potato soup doesn’t need cream — or even much half-and-half — to keep its thick and creamy texture.

My healthy version uses Chef Todd Wilbur’s secret of instant mashed potatoes, but I cut down on the butter and half-and-half by stirring in some fat-free milk with a little flour and cornstarch.

I also leave the skin on the potatoes to keep some extra nutrients and fiber, and I top my soup off with a little center-cut bacon and reduced-fat cheese.

My alterations to this recipe slashed the fat by 57 percent and shaved off 27 percent of the calories

You can have a 11‚Ñ2-cup serving of my baked potato soup for 247 calories and 6.7 fat grams.

KATHY’S BAKED POTATO SOUP

2 medium (about 3 inches in diameter) potatoes

1 tablespoon butter

1 cup diced white onion

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

4 cups chicken broth (low-sodium, if desired)

2 cups water

1‚Ñ4 cup cornstarch

11‚Ñ2 cups instant mashed potatoes, such as Potato Buds, unprepared

3‚Ñ4 teaspoon pepper

1‚Ñ2 teaspoon dried basil

1‚Ñ8 teaspoon dried thyme

1‚Ñ3 cup half-and-half

2‚Ñ3 cup plus 2 tablespoons fat-free milk, divided use

6 tablespoons sharp Cheddar cheese made with 2 percent milk, finely shredded

2 slices center-cut bacon, cooked and finely crumbled

2 green onions, chopped

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and bake the potatoes for 1 hour or until tender when pierced with a fork. Remove them from the oven to cool.

As potatoes cool, melt butter in a stockpot and saut onion until light brown. Add the flour and 2 tablespoons of fat-free milk to the onion and stir to make a roux. Add chicken broth, water, corn starch, mashed potato flakes, pepper, basil and thyme and bring mixture to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Chop each potato into 1‚Ñ2-inch chunks. Add chopped baked potatoes, half-and-half and 2‚Ñ3 cup fat-free milk to the pot, bring soup back to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer the soup for 15 more minutes, or until the soup is thick.

Spoon 11‚Ñ2 cups of soup into each of six bowls and top with a tablespoon of shredded cheese and a sprinkling of bacon and green onions.

Makes 9 cups. Serves 6.

Per 11‚Ñ2-cup serving of soup with cheese, bacon and green onions: 247 calories, 6.7 fat grams, 669mg sodium, 41 carb grams, 2 fiber grams, 7 protein grams, 19 mg cholesterol.

Adapted from a “Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2” recipe by Chef Todd Wilbur.