With the recent change in seasons and the even colder weather just around the corner, I have been craving some serious soup.  The minute that first chill hits the air, my cravings go from crisp salads and ice cream to hearty soups and pumpkin pie.  You don’t have to be a nutritionist to know that the canned soups that are stocked on the shelves at your local grocery are laced with obscene amounts of sodium.  Even when scanning some of the “healthy” varieties, the sodium was astronomical.  So, I decided to try my hand at a homemade soup.  Potato was sounding pretty good that day.

There are so many different types of potato soup that are out there: the cheesy, the creamy, the pureed, and so on.  I tend to favor a creamy, non-cheesy potato soup that has huge hunks of potato in it, so I knew I was going to want to make that style of potato soup. My usual MO when it comes to wanting to make something for the first time is to scour about 10 – 15 recipes and from them, culminate what I want to cook.  I was seriously shocked at how delicious and easy this came out to be!  You have got to give it a try!  There is no blending, pureeing or hours of simmering here, which I saw plenty of while scouring.  Just easy, creamy potato soup.

Ingredients:

• 3 c. diced potatoes (don’t bother peeling them)
• 1 c. sliced carrots
• 4 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1/2 of a large onion, diced (or one whole medium)
• 4 tbsp. flour
• 2 1/2 c. milk
• 4 c. of low-sodium chicken stock
• 1 8oz. pkg. cream cheese, cut into pieces
• Salt and pepper to taste

Put the potatoes, carrots and chicken stock in a large pot and bring to a boil.  Add pepper and salt to taste.  Once boiling, reduce heat and continue to cook until vegetables are tender (about 15 minutes).  In a small saute pan, saute onions in the butter for about 3 min. (you only want to sweat out the onions, not caramelize them), stir in flour and continue cooking about a minute.  It will look a little scary.  Slowly whisk in milk.  Lower heat, add cream cheese and continue whisking until the cream cheese is incorporated.  Add cream cheese mixture to the simmering vegetables.  Continue to simmer on medium-low heat until ready to serve.  This recipe makes about 4 good-sized servings.  I usually double it and make a huge batch for work-week lunches.

Extras:
I threw 4 pieces of bacon into the oven at 375 for about 15 min. and crumbled them on top along with shredded cheddar and chives.  You can use any kind of potato.  I have used both Yukon gold and red skin – equally delicious.

Lower Calorie Options:
Swap regular cream cheese for 1/3 less fat cream cheese and use skim or 1% milk instead of 2% or whole milk.  You could swap olive oil for butter but beware, I did it the second time I made the soup and it did not yield the same creamy consistency.  Also, I would not go for the fat-free cream cheese, as it does not melt well.

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