Double Potato Vegetable Soup

I love the cinnamon in this - it goes so well with the sweet potatoes. This is better the 2nd day.

Ingredients
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 slices bacon, chopped (could omit to make vegan)
1 cup chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups cubed peeled sweet potato
2 cups diced unpeeled red potato
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 can (14.5oz) diced tomatoes, mostly drained
3 cups vegetable broth
4 cups chopped kale
1 (15.5-ounce) can navy beans, rinsed and drained

Preparation
1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add bacon; sauté 3 minutes.
2. Add onion and garlic; sauté 3 minutes. Add potatoes through thyme, stirring to combine; cook 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes; cook 2 minutes.
3. Stir in broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat.
4. Add kale and simmer 25 minutes.
5. Add beans; simmer 5 minutes

Baked Potato Soup

Modified from Cooking Light. I usually bake and mash the potatoes early in the day, so that the soup prep comes together quickly in the evening.


Ingredients

2.5-3 lb baking potatoes
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
6 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
1/2 cup reduced-fat shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/2 cup chopped green onions

For topping:
1/2 c shredded cheese
bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
1/2 c sliced green onion


Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Pierce potatoes with a fork; bake at 400° for 1 hour or until tender. Cool. Peel potatoes (I leave about a quarter of the peel on for extra fiber); coarsely mash.
3. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Place flour in a large Dutch oven; gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly (about 8 minutes).
4. Add mashed potatoes, cheese, salt, and pepper, stirring until cheese melts. Remove from heat.
5. Stir in sour cream and 1/2 cup onions. Cook over low heat 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated (do not boil).
6. Top with sliced green onions, shredded cheese and crumbled bacon.

Country Potato Gratin

This is a good recipe to use up leftover holiday ham. A little bit of ham goes a long way. Notice that the dish bakes for awhile.

Ingredients
2 tsp butter
1 medium onion thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2/3 c flour
1.5 c shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1.25 c diced ham
3 pounds baking potatoes, cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Combine milk, salt, pepper, and flour, stirring with a whisk. Add milk mixture to pan. Bring to a simmer; cook until slightly thick (about 2 minutes), stirring frequently.
3. Add half of cheese and all ham, stirring until cheese melts.
4. Stir in potatoes.
5. Place the potato mixture in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle potato mixture with remaining cheese.
6. Cover with foil coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes or until lightly browned and potatoes are tender. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.