Mashed Potato Soup

Ok, so Halloween is over, onto the next holiday, and then the next right after that.

It seems November 1st hits and we get into a whirlwind of eating,
at home,
at the office,
at school,
at church,

everywhere you stop,
you'll either be sampling a bite of something or thinking about the next stop where you will be eating.

Everyone is already planning the Thanksgiving meal.
Turkey,
Mashed potatoes,
Sweet potatoes,
green bean casserole,
Stuffing (dressing)
Gravy,
Rolls,
Cranberry sauce,

And lets not even talk about the desserts, at least not on this post!

So anyway, I was excited when I saw Mom's Crazy Cooking Challenge! And the best part, other than getting to try something new?




The November challenge was mashed potatoes! And remember that holiday dinner coming up? Can we say leftovers? I love leftovers as much as the next person, well not really but I do love Thanksgiving and Christmas leftovers, but only for one more meal, then I want something different.



So back to the challenge, knowing I'll need to do something with the leftover mashed potatoes, I knew I wanted to find a soup to make.



So I searched and searched, I came across some neat ideas, then I stumbled upon Angel Cole's Work in Progress. She had a Loaded Potato Soup. We all know what a loaded potato is, bake it then throw everything you can find on it! But it wasn't mashed potatoes, or was it?

Reading through her recipe I realized that several of her steps were just taking potatoes to the mashed potato stage! Ok, I can work with this! I ended up using her recipe as the guide but had to leave out a few of the herbs ( I have children that are totally against green things floating around in their soup) but it was still loaded and oh so good!

So if you are lucky enough to have leftover mashed potatoes after your holiday dinner, this is perfect for them!


Mashed Potato Soup
adapted from Angel Cole

5-6 cups left over mashed potatoes
1 small onion
1/2 pound of bacon and drippings
1 cup cream (I used heavy cream)
3-4 cups milk
1 teaspoon thyme
1 tsp rosemary
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon pepper
1 tablespoon salt
pinch red pepper flakes
1 large slice of velveeta cheese (mine was about 2 inches wide)
sour cream

Cook the bacon anyway you like, I cook mine in the oven

Save all that wonderful bacon grease
Let bacon cool slightly then chop into bits, put aside, for now
Chop onions and saute them

in that bacon grease

Till a beautiful caramel color, set aside
Now for your potatoes, if you don't have left over mashed potatoes

Make some, put them in a large pot

and add your cream, just start mashing it all together (it helps if your mashed potatoes aren't still icey cold from the refrigerator like mine were)

Once your cream is incorporated, add in your milk, somewhere between the 3 and 4 cups, you will get the soup consistency you want.

Now start adding all your herbs and spices

Stir to blend and add your onions and bacon (leave some of the bacon out for garnish)

Now melt in your cheese and let this simmer for about 30-40 minutes.

Serve with a garnish of sour cream, bacon and shredded cheese!

This soup was so good, I loved the slight bite it had from the pepper flakes! And stirring in the sour cream right before eating made it taste just like a loaded potato!

So Thanks to Tina at Mom's Crazy Cooking for hosting this challenge! I can't wait till next month's challenge (it's fudge!)

Be sure to check out all the other amazing recipes and don't forget to vote for your favorites!!!! You can find me at #27, be sure to vote if you like this!