Creamy Potato Soup

Several potato soup recipes have come across my path in the past few months, and they each contained cream cheese.  Not something I would have ever thought to put into soup, but I figured I would give it a try.  So, yesterday I made up my own version.  I love that this soup doesn't require any milk!  Milk is so expensive, and I've tried to cut back on it in our family over the past few weeks, but I still feel like we go through it super fast.  A lot of creamy soups call for milk, but this one turned out great without it and I'm thrilled!

Another thing I like about this soup is that I didn't peel the potatoes.  And, no, they weren't red potatoes.  All they needed was a good scrubbing, and they were good to go in the pot!  Did you know that most of the nutrients in a potato are found between the skin and the actual potato?  The very part we normally discard!  So, not only are you getting a yummy bowl of soup with this recipe, you're also benefiting from the natural nutrients of a potato.

Serve this with a warm, buttered slice of homemade bread and your tummy will be happy.

Creamy Potato Soup


3 tablespoons margarine, or butter
1/2 cup diced onion
3 tablespoons flour
6 cups chicken broth
2.5 lbs. white potatoes, scrubbed and chopped {use less if you want more cream than chunk to your soup}
4 oz. cream cheese, cut into cubes
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
shredded cheddar cheese, optional
cooked diced bacon, optional

In a large pot, melt butter.  Add diced onions and cook over medium-high heat until onion is tender, about 5 minutes.  Stir in flour until smooth.  Add chicken broth and stir for about 10 minutes.  The soup won't thicken a ton, but it will thicken slightly.  Carefully dump in the potatoes and cook until potatoes are fork tender, about 20 minutes, on medium-low heat.  Add marjoram, and salt and pepper to taste.  Stir in the cream cheese and continue stirring until heated through.  Garnish bowls of soup with shredded cheese and bacon.  {Chives would also be delicious}

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