cream cheese potato soup

this weeks recipe is inspired by good old panera....i LOVE the potato soup there...along with pretty much everything else they serve but it was high time that i find my own recipe. i tried a panera copy cat recipe once before and it was a disaster and tasted NOTHING like what i hoped. this recipe caught my eye though...it uses cream cheese instead of the shredded cheddar you usually find...so i though i would give it a whirl.

cream cheese potato soup
4 cups chicken broth
4 cups potatoes, cubed
1/4 cup minced onion
1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese

optional add ons: chopped green onion, bacon, shredded cheese

Mix broth, cubed potatoes, onion and spices. Bring to boil over medium heat. Cover with lid and boil until potatoes are tender. Once potatoes are cooked mash a few of the potatoes to release starch for thickening.

I also chopped up about 3-4 slices of bacon and cooked it in a skillet with some extra minced onion and added this to the soup mixture.

Reduce heat to low. Cube cream cheese and add to soup. Stir till cheese melts.

I served mine with a little shredded cheese and lots of chopped green onion on top (every serving since the first has been without the added cheese....it's not really necessary....but it looked pretty)

i'm just saying......once i get my sour dough recipe down (which i haven't even started yet...haha) i probably won't have an excuse to go to panera for potato soup anymore. this soup is delicious! i have made it three more times since. it's so simple and can be made on such a small budget. AND the second time i made it i used fat free cream cheese and still love it just as much!

i mean...don't worry panera....i'll still come back for your coffee:)