To celebrate this Winter season a bit more, I decided that even though it was still 70 degrees out, I was going to make some baked potato soup. Not just your average baked potato soup either. But the loaded kind. The kind that warms not only your stomach, but your heart too!

I've had a BUNCH of leftover potatoes from the holidays, and what better way to use those up than in a potato soup? For this soup, it really doesn't matter what kind of potato you use, but I went with russet. I kept the peels on about half of them and removed them from the other half. That's because I like the peels, but too much is too much and I didn’t want the soup to be brown. I lightened this soup up simply, by using reduced fat evaporated milk and cheese.

Usually, I would have subbed in some cauliflower, but I wanted the texture of this soup to be creamy and potato dense. The center cut reduced sodium bacon is another favorite trick of mine. It tastes like traditional bacon as compared to it's turkey brethren. Don't get me wrong. Turkey bacon has it's place in this world too! But, not here. And not today.

Yum. Yum. Yummity-yum! This soup is so SO good and so SO easy to make. Just a few hours in the crock pot, a good stir or two and ta-da!

Slow Cooker Lightened Up Baked Potato Soup

Yield: 8

Author: The Skinny Fork (Amanda Plott)

Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 6 H & 5 MTotal time: 6 H & 10 M

Easy to make baked potato soup that cooks up in the slow cooker all day and is ready for dinner time! - Originally Posted Sep 11, 2017

Ingredients

6 Slices Center Cut Reduced Sodium Bacon, Cooked & Diced
4 C. Unsalted Chicken or Vegetable Stock
2 Lbs. Russet Potatoes, Peeled (if desired) & Diced
1 Medium White or Yellow Onion, Diced
4 Tbsp. Butter
1/3 C. All-Purpose Flour
1 (12 Oz.) Can 2% Evaporated Milk
1 C. Shredded Reduced Fat Sharp Cheddar Cheese
Salt & Pepper to Taste

Instructions

Place the 6 Slices Center Cut Reduced Sodium Cooked Bacon, 3-4 C. Unsalted Chicken or Vegetable Stock, 2 Lbs. Potatoes, Peeled (if desired) & Diced and 1 Medium White Onion into the base of the crock pot.
Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours - or until the potatoes are tender and cooked through.
Once the potatoes are done, place the 4 Tbsp. Light Butter into a small sauce pan over medium-high heat to melt. Whisk in the 1/3 C. All-Purpose Flour to create your roux; cook for 1 minute stirring constantly.
Slowly add in the evaporated milk while still whisking until the mixture is completely smooth. Allow the mixture to continue cooking until it begins to simmer and thickens.
Transfer the mixture into the slow cooker with the potatoes and stir to combine.
Add in the 1 C. Shredded Reduced Fat Sharp Cheddar Cheese and season with Salt & Pepper to Taste.
Using a potato masher or large spoon, mash about half of the potatoes within the soup to thicken it further. Stir to combine everything fully.
Serve right away with any desired toppings!

Notes:

Optional Toppings: Green Onions or Chives, Shredded Cheese, Bacon, Plain Fat Free Greek Yogurt, Etc.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

382.39

Fat (grams)

16.99

Sat. Fat (grams)

7.23

Carbs (grams)

33.04

Fiber (grams)

2.92

Net carbs

30.12

Sugar (grams)

5.12

Protein (grams)

23.63

Sodium (milligrams)

296.16

Cholesterol (grams)

84.89

Nutritional Claims: Egg Free • Peanut Free • Tree Nut Free • Soy Free • Fish Free • Shellfish Free • Crustacean Free • Celery Free • Mustard Free • Sesame Free • Lupine Free • Mollusk Free • Alcohol Free • No Sugar Added • Sulphite Free