Smashed Potato Soup

This is a hearty, low fat option for potato soup that still has a ton of flavor and only takes 30 minutes to make.

Makes 4 servings         Prep time: 10 minutes         Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

1/2 cup coarsely chopped carrot

1/2 cup coarsely chopped celery

1 package (1 pound 4 oz) refrigerated mashed potatoes or 3 cups instant mashed potatoes

1-14.5oz can 99% fat free chicken broth

1/2 cup fat free milk

1 garlic clove, pressed

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream

2 Tbsp snipped fresh parsley

Optional toppings: sliced green onions, reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese, crisp crumbled turkey bacon

Directions

Coarsely chop carrot and celery.  Place mashed potatoes in a 3 qt saucepan.  Gradually add broth and milk, whisking until mixture is smooth. Stir in carrot, celery, garlic, salt, and pepper.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.

Remove from heat; stir in sour cream and parsley. Ladle soup into bowls; top with desired toppings. Serve with hot rolls.

Hodge Podge Tips

I doubled the recipe (unintentionally)-- I highly recommend doing that.

The idea of store bought mashed potatoes of any kind grosses me out, so I mashed my own.  For the doubled recipe I use 2 russet potatoes, so you could get away with 1 large potato for the above recipe.  It takes a little longer to do it that way but it's cheaper, you skip all the preservatives and chemicals in the other stuff, and you can still do it all in one pot.  Excellent.

For a little more flavor, add some dried minced onion.  Next time, I think I'll try chopping some fresh onion and adding it when I add the carrots and celery.

Since I've gone vegetarian now, I used vegetable broth instead of chicken.  Store bought for time purposes, but I hope to start making it homemade.

Be generous with the parsley.  Happy cooking!