Chunky Potato Soup

What a perfect dinner for this COLD day! I have wanted to sit in front of my fireplace at home all day! This soup really hit the spot. I normally make a beef-vegetable-type of soup. If I venture much further than that, it comes from a can. This was a nice change-up to my menu. This soup uses the Bob Evans Home Fries that were B1G1 a few weeks ago at Publix. I had one bag left and wanted to try this. Right now Publix has Smithfield bacon B1G1. I used it for my Loaded Twice Baked Potatoes the other night. You could make this healthier by cooking the bacon in the microwave and sauteing the onion in some olive oil. Tonight, I wasn't too worried about it. The bacon flavor going throughout the soup was great. There was also a little more liquid than I like in a soup, so I drained some of the liquid off as I was serving it. That's what made it look thicker in the photo. You can probably omit some of the liquid by adding 1 cup of milk at the end instead of 2. I don't think it would take away from the flavor a whole lot. With this weather, there is no excuse not to make this hot bowl of goodness!



3 slices bacon, cut into 1/2" pieces
1 (20 oz.) pkg. Bob Evans Diced Home Fries
1 small leek, white part only, diced (I used 1/4 cup sweet onion)
salt and pepper to taste
2 cans (14.5 oz. each) chicken broth
2 cups milk
1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed

In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook bacon until crisp. Remove and set aside. In bacon drippings (I poured it out and added 2 teaspoons back to the pot) saute onions until softened, about 3 minutes. Add potatoes, salt and pepper and chicken broth. Cover and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer (uncovered) until potatoes are tender, about 10-15 minutes. Lightly mash with a potato masher; you still want chunks of potatoes. Add milk, corn, and reserved bacon. Heat until hot, about 5-10 minutes.


Enjoy!


(adapted from BobEvans.com)