WW Baked Potato Soup

By barbgreenfield

Ingredients

• 1 bulb garlic clove (large, 1/4-inch-slice cut off top)
• 3 lbs potatoes (rinsed, pierced with a fork, about 6 large baking potatoes)
• 6 slices uncooked turkey bacon
• 4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
• 6 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream
• 6 tablespoons low-fat cheddar cheese, shredded
• 6 tablespoons scallions, sliced

Preparation

Step 1

1 Preheat oven to 400ºF. 2 Wrap entire garlic bulb tightly in foil; place garlic and potatoes in oven. (You do not need to put them on a pan; they can go right on an oven rack.). 3 Bake garlic until soft when squeezed, about 45 minutes; remove from oven and let cool. Continue baking potatoes until tender when pierced, about 15 minutes more; let potatoes stand until cool enough to handle. 4 Meanwhile, cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until browned, about 6 minutes. 5 Place bacon on paper towels to drain off any fat; chop bacon. 6 Unwrap garlic and squeeze pulp from bulb with hands into a large saucepan. 7 Peel potatoes and add to saucepan; mash with a potato masher until smooth. 8 Gradually stir in broth, thyme, salt and pepper until blended; place saucepan over medium heat and cook until hot, stirring occasionally, about 5 to 10 minutes. 9 Spoon about 1 1/3 cups of soup into each of 6 soup bowls. 10 Top each with 1 tablespoon of sour cream, 1 tablespoon of cheese, 1 rounded tablespoon of bacon and 1 tablespoon of scallions. 11 Grind fresh pepper over top if desired.