Mashed Potato and Black Bean Soup!

I got this recipe idea from Our Best Bites! I love their site. They have all sorts of yummy stuff!
Anyway, I wanted to make it but I did not have several ingredients and for some reason my baked potatoes did not turn out the way I thought they would so they ended up mashed!

Baked Potato Soup
Recipe by Our Best Bites


3 Tbs butter I love butter which I think is part of my down fall so I added an extra Tbsp
2-3 cloves garlic, minced I ran out of this ingredient so I ended up using 1 small chopped onion and some Garlic salt with parsley. Then I sauteed it all together.
1/2 C flour
4 1/2 C milk (low fat works great)
1 14oz can chicken broth
4 medium baking potatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds) baked* I used 6 potatoes
2 C grated cheddar (or sharp cheddar) cheese, divided
1 1/2 tsp. salt More Garlic Salt!
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 1/2 C sour cream (low fat is fine), divided
1/2 C chopped green onions, divided
8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled, divided
2 cans Black Beans

*don't have time to bake potatoes in the oven? Just pierce them with a fork a few times and then pop them in the microwave. Cook in 5 minute intervals until a knife easily pierces through them. It usually takes 5-10 minutes. To bake in the oven, pierce each potato with a fork and place directly on oven rack. Bake at 375 for 45-60 minutes.

Melt butter in a stock pot over medium heat. Add garlic or onions and saute for 30-60 seconds until fragrant. Add flour to pan. At this point I mixed the flour in with the onions and let it cook for one minute. It makes it so you don't have to worry about chunks of flour. Slowly add milk a little at a time while whisking constantly to eliminate lumps. Whisk until smooth and then add chicken broth and Beans so the beans will become soft. (Now, if you get to this point and don't have a smooth liquid. Stop! Save your soup by popping the mixture in the blender, then continue.) Bring soup just to a simmer and heat until thickened, stirring often, about 5 minutes.

Once soup is thickened, turn heat down to medium-low. Cut potatoes in half length-wise and use a spoon to scoop out potato flesh into the pot. Use a wooden spoon to smash potatoes, breaking up large clumps. Add 1 1/2 C grated cheese and salt and pepper and stir until cheese is melted. Remove pan from heat and stir in 3/4 C sour cream, 1/4 C green onions, and 4 strips of the crumbled bacon. Add additional salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and top with each serving with the remaining sour cream, onions, cheese, and bacon.
Now, I love bacon and if you do too I would double the amount of bacon you put into the soup.

Enjoy!!!!