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

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.