When I was doing my recap of the best recipes for 2010 with Finding Joy in My Kitchen, I noticed she had a recipe for baked potato soup. Â However, I have several yummy versions of baked potato soup already on my site. Most of them include a creamy white base with potatoes in it. Â Then, the soup is topped off with cheese, green onion, and crumbled bacon. Â This super loaded baked potato soup takes it up a notch. It includes cheese in the base of the soup making it cheesy and creamy. Â Then it also includes broccoli. Â Consequently, you can see why I have called this recipe “Super Loaded Baked Potato Soup”.
I did make a few changes to the original recipe. Also, I simplified the process by adding frozen broccoli and upped the amount of cheese. I felt the soup needed more to get that cheese flavor across. Now, even though this is a cream based soup, it is on the healthier side. This soup does not include any butter in the base. It also only includes 1 cup of cream and 1 cup of milk, where my other favorite recipe uses 5 cups of milk, 1 cup of cream, and 1 cup of sour cream.
If you have a favorite baked potato soup recipe that you love you could easily adapt it to include the cheese and broccoli. However, I thought a lighter version would be appreciated. It was delicious and I know my waistline appreciated this lighter version.
Here’s what you need to make this Super Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Place potatoes and onion in a large pot with enough water just to cover the potatoes.  Add salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil and cook for 20 minutes or until fork tender.  Stir occasionally to prevent the potatoes from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
Mash the potatoes a few times with a potato masher.
Whisk together flour and milk; stir in with the potatoes.  Then mix in the cream.  Simmer until mixture is slightly thickened.
Add broccoli, paprika, and garlic powder and cook for 1-2 minutes more.  Just enough to warm the broccoli.
Remove from the heat and add the shredded cheddar cheese. Stir until the cheese is all melted.
Sprinkle each bowl with bacon bits and a spoonful of sour cream, if desired. Serves 6-8.
