Skinny Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Question - if you lighten up traditional potato soup, you can add extra toppings, right?  Right! And the fact that this recipe is fast and easy to make means you can sit down to a piping hot bowl of homemade soup in less than an hour.

Start by cooking chopped cauliflower in chicken stock until it's tender.  The smaller you chop the cauliflower, the faster it will cook.  

The cauliflower does not need to be completely covered with chicken stock - we're going to cover the pan and take full advantage of the power of hot steam.  Total cooking time should be about 10 minutes.

Add leftover cooked Idaho potatoes and ground black pepper (hold off on adding any salt at this time).  The potatoes can be boiled, steamed, mashed, baked - just be sure to peel them so the finished color of the soup stays light and bright (you know, for optimal eye appeal).  

I know some people think you should use white pepper in light colored soups, but I'm not fond of the flavor and I really like to see the specks of black pepper in my soup.  That's just me.  You do you.  

Add milk and plain Greek yogurt.  You can substitute sour cream or creme fraiche, but Greek yogurt adds a ton of protein.  

Turn off the heat and grab your handy-dandy immersion blender, aka stick blender.  You could use a food processor or traditional blender as well, but you have to be careful not to over-process the mixture to prevent the potatoes from developing a glue-like texture. 

Blend until smooth-ish - I like my soup to retain a little texture, and actually, a lump or two doesn't bother me at all.  Turn the heat back on and heat the soup for a few more minutes until hot.  Important, taste at this point and add salt if necessary, being mindful of the salt content of whatever toppings you plan to add.

Now for the fun part, garnish with plenty of traditional baked potato toppings like, chives, bacon, cheese - whatever floats your boat.  Enjoy!

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• immersion blender https://amzn.to/33EyFtE

• chicken base https://amzn.to/2WKgmSe

• nakiri knife https://amzn.to/2vGiyPE

• rondeau https://amzn.to/2xiWNWM

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Skinny Loaded Baked Potato Soup

makes 4 servings

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 pounds chopped cauliflower

• 2 cups chicken stock

• 1 1/4 pounds leftover peeled and cooked Idaho potatoes, cubed

• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1 cup milk

• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt (or sour cream or creme fraiche)

• Kosher salt to taste

• garnish: chopped chives, shredded cheddar, cooked bacon, etc

Directions

1. In a 5 or 6-quart casserole over medium heat, cook cauliflower in chicken stock, covered, until the cauliflower is tender.

2. Add cooked potatoes, black pepper, milk, and Greek yogurt.

3. Turn off heat and use an immersion blender to blend until smooth.

4. Turn heat back on and heat soup for a few minutes until hot.

5. Taste soup and add salt if necessary, being mindful of the salt content of the toppings you plan to garnish with.

6. Garnish and serve.

Cream of Cauliflower Soup

Flavor, flavor, flavor - that's the first thing that comes to mind when I think about this soup.  Then I think about how I can hide it in the fridge so I won't have to share it with anyone.  Shame on me.

Let's begin by sauteing cauliflower, onions, garlic, and a little kosher salt in extra virgin olive oil until the cauliflower begins to soften and everything caramelizes a bit.  This is going to add a lot of flavor to the soup.  

Yes - look at those yummy caramelized veggies, and even better, the all that yummy golden brown goodness stuck to the pan (technical term: 'fond').  Oh, I wish you could smell my house right now.  

Tip:  keep a little water or chicken stock close by so you can add a splash or two to prevent burned spots if needed.

Time to get all that yummy brown goodness (fond) off the pan and into the soup.  Do that by 'deglazing' the pan with chicken stock.  You can use store bought stock, but homemade is so much better.  The difference is remarkable.

You have made homemade chicken stock, haven't you?  If you haven't, it's really, really easy.  CLICK HERE to see my simple step-by-step tutorial.  I'm telling you, the stuff is liquid gold! 

Okay, pour the chicken stock into the pan and use a wooden spoon to loosen the fond.  It will basically dissolve into the stock.  Note the color of the chicken stock at this point.

And here's the color of the stock just a couple of minutes later.  See how much darker it is?   You can practically taste all the flavor already, can't you?  

Cover the pan and simmer gently  for about 30 minutes.  

After 30 minutes turn off the heat and carefully ladle all the liquids and solids into a blender.

I'm sharing this photo just so you can see how well the deglazing process dissolved the layer of fond on the bottom of the pan.  It always amazes me.

Before we blend the soup, we need to add the last few ingredients - ground black pepper, heavy cream, and freshly grated parmesan cheese.  Are you drooling yet?

Ready?  Go!

But don't go too fast.  Blend slowly until the soup reaches the consistency you like.  I like it to be smooth, but still maintain a little texture.  

I serve with some homemade croutons, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and a sprinkle of freshly chopped chives.  This soup is so incredibly good.  I hope you'll give it a try soon. 

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• vitamix https://amzn.to/3ck1qQ1

• braiser https://amzn.to/2SRH0WM

• my favorite nakiri knife https://amzn.to/2STJWSH

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Cream of Cauliflower Soup

makes 4-6 servings

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets

• 1 large yellow onion, diced

• 6 whole cloves of garlic, peeled

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 2 cups chicken stock (try my homemade)

• 1/2 cup heavy cream

• 1/4 - 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Garnish:

• croutons

• extra virgin olive oil

• freshly chopped chives

Directions

1. In a 5-quart heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat, saute onions, garlic, cauliflower, and salt in olive oil, stirring often, until caramelized. This should take about 15 minutes.

2. Add chicken stock and scrape up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.

3. Lower heat, cover pan, and simmer gently for about 30 minutes.

4. Transfer everything from the pan into a blender jar.

5. Add cheese, cream, and pepper; blend on low until desired consistency is reached.

6. Pour into serving bowls and garnish with croutons, olive oil, and chives.