Baked Potato Soup

This soup is to DIE FOR! I was craving it, even though I never liked Potato soup growing up. Anyways, this recipe was a huge hit, and was pronounced "better than Panera's" version by a few people. I got it on allrecipes, but you know me, I changed it quite a bit. I don't always measure my ingredients exact. Most of my recipes are eyeballing or to taste, so do what you judge to look right! It was good the first day, but even better the second day. So next time I will make it the day before I plan on serving it to let all the flavors set longer.

Baked Potato Soup

6 bacon strips, diced (I used turkey bacon.)

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup + 2 T. Flour

2 tsp salt

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp pepper

6 cups chicken broth ( I used 6 bouillon cubes)

4-5 large potatoes, cubed (the recipe calls for peeled, but i left the skins on)

1 can (small) cr. of chicken soup

1 1/2 cup sour cream (I used fat-free)

1 tsp hot pepper sauce (I threw in a couple extra drops)

1 cup sharp cheddar, shredded

1. Add the potatoes to 6-7 cups of water in a big pot. Cook until potatoes are "done". Add the bouillon cubes and simmer.

2. Cook the bacon until almost crispy. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onions are clear and bacon is crispy (I added some olive oil since the bacon wasn't greasy enough.) Add the flour and mix well.

3. Add the bacon/onion mix, salt, basil, pepper, cr. of chicken soup, sour cream, hot pepper sauce, and cheese and cook until ready to eat or until whenever! (I cooked mine pretty much all day on low heat.) Serve with some shredded cheese on top. ENJOY!