So Delicious Creamy Potato Soup

8 medium (2-1/4" to 3-1/4" dia.) Potato, raw
16 tbsp Philadelphia Light cream cheese (31g)
4 cup Swanson Chicken Fat Free Chicken Broth Less Sodium
12 serving Bacon - Applegate Farms Natural Sunday Bacon
1 medium (2-1/2" dia) Onions, raw
2 clove Garlic
0.50 cup Cheese, Shredded, Kraft Sharp Cheddar
0.25 cup Shredded Pepper Jack Cheese (by DLAURIE483)
1 cup Milk, 2%, with added nonfat milk solids, without added vit A

This recipe does not require added salt or pepper. Although, the pepper jack adds a little bit of a spicy taste. However, add salt if you feel the bacon just isn't enough for you.

Begin with cooking bacon in a skillet. I like to place the entire pound of bacon into the skillet and cook it on a medium-high heat, moving turning the bacon to make sure all slices are cooked well. Bonus if your edges are crispy, but not burnt! When the bacon is done, remove it from the skillet and set it on plate with a few layers of paper towels to allow some of the grease to drain off the bacon. Meanwhile, reserve about 2 tbsp of the bacon grease and dump the rest. It's time to start chopping! First, wash and skin the potatoes and cut them into 1/2" cubes. Pour all the chicken broth into a stock pot and add cubed potatoes. Set to medium heat and allow to boil about 20 minutes to soften potatoes. Next, dice the onion and garlic cloves (if using fresh). Toss the diced onions into the reserved bacon grease, left over in the bacon skillet. Cook for about 7 minutes or until onions become slightly transparent. Next toss in the garlic and brown both garlic and onions an additional 3 mins. Using a laddle, borrow about 1/4 cup of the chicken broth from the potatoes and pour into your onions and garlic. Whisk the onions and garlic to pull the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Then pour the garlic, onion broth back into the pot with the potatoes. Potatoes should be soft if they've boiled for about 20 minutes. If so, remove from heat and add the cheeses. I cubed my cream cheese first to help it blend into the soup. Then add the cheddar and pepperjack. I popped the lid on the pot after adding the cheese for a minute or two, while I diced the cooked bacon. Then I lifted the lid, added the chopped bacon (saving just a little to top as a garnish) and stirred in the cheese until blended. My soup was too thick for my taste, so I added about 1 cup of 2% milk. Serve warm, topped with cheddar, chives, diced bacon, and/or jalapeno slices if you have them. Refrigerate leftovers and add a small amount of milk when reheating.

Serving Size: Makes about 16 1-cup servings