Not too long ago, my sweet friend has us over for potato soup. It was the most delicious, cheesy, creamy blend and since then… probably about once a week, I think about it. I guess I tend to form strange relationships with my food.
Lately though, we’ve been cutting back on our dairy intake. Not that we had that much of it to begin with, but finding ways to use even less has been our goal. So, while I was craving her delicious recipe, I decided to whip up something with what we had on hand while trying to avoid using dairy. I made a loaf of honey bread (I was feeling brave and adventurous in the kitchen) to go along with, and the entire pot of soup and loaf of bread was devoured by my family. Aliyah practically licked the bowl clean while gushing over how good it was. It’s the perfect warm and hearty recipe for a cold and rainy day… which is what prompted me to make it this day.
First, I enlisted the help of my kids and we peeled, washed and cut up the potatoes. They insisted on helping with each step, and even though it usually means more time and more mess, I think it’s so important to let them, and encourage them, to help with as much as possible. Letting their little fingers and hands learn how to use tools in the kitchen, measuring ingredients, sort of cleaning up after themselves… it’s all a part of the process.
For this soup, I added some of the veggies I had in the refrigerator, which was carrots and celery. It would be great with onion or broccoli as well! To keep it in the “healthier” column I used turkey bacon and cooked that first, and then sautéed the veggies in the little bit of grease that it left behind.
I mashed up the potatoes with our potato masher right in the pot once they were cooked, super easy and simple! We also saved some of the bacon aside to garnish the soup with. Here you could add cheese (if you aren’t making this dairy free) and green onion.
Healthy, Non-Dairy, Creamy Potato Soup – adapted from Eat, Live, Run
//Ingredients:
2 large carrots or a handful of baby carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
5 pounds potatoes (half a bag), peeled and cubed
8 slices turkey bacon
8 cups chicken broth
1 cup almond milk
2 tbsp flour
1-2 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp red pepper
1-2 tsp salt
pinch of black pepper
sliced green onions for garnish if desired
//Process:
Fry the bacon until crisp in a large heavy-bottomed pot. Set aside on paper towels.
Pour in about a teaspoon of olive oil to the pot. Add the carrots and celery (and onion if adding) to the hot bacon grease and oil and saute for about 6 minutes until veggies are tender. Add the garlic, potatoes and red pepper and toss well.
Add the chicken broth. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, until potatoes are fork-tender.
Place the almond milk and flour in a jar and shake well until totally combined. Pour slowly into the simmering soup and stir. As the soup continues to simmer it will thicken slightly.
Mash the potatoes well with a wooden spoon or potato masher until smooth but still slightly chunky. Add additional broth and almond milk if needed (we like it thick). Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Chop up the bacon and stir in half to the pot of soup, save the rest for garnish.
Serve bowls of soup with bacon crumbles and sliced green onions.
AwesomelyOZ says
This looks heavenly – I just made my first batch of potato soup, I can’t believe I haven’t done it before – and it was pretty good but lacking substance. I think this is a recipe worth keeping! Take Care Tabitha! -Iva
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