An Inexpensive, Soothing Soup

While many of you are looking for news of mom and her recent hip surgery, tonight I am relaxing and writing about cooking. I tried three new recipes tonight and only one made the repeat list. This recipe is from a 1996 Bon Appetit. I told you I have thousands of recipes and I'm glad I saved this old magazine. It's called: Reduced Fat Potato Chowder. The reason I know it is good is my husband didn't try to liven it up with his usual hot sauce. He ate it just the way I served it. I must add, though, that his first bowl didn't have any parsley. The second did and he preferred it without. Here we go:

8 bacon slices, coarsely chopped
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
1 pound red-skinned potatoes, scrubbed, diced
2 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1-1/2 cups nonfat milk
1 10-1/2 ounce can condensed reduced-fat cream of celery soup
1/4 cup chopped parsley

Cook bacon in heavy large pot over medium heat until brown and crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels and drain. Pour off and discard all but 1 tablespoon drippings from pot. Add onion, celery and carrots to pot. Saute until soft, about 10 minutes. Add potatoes, chicken broth and garlic powder. Cover pot and simmer soup until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Add milk and condensed soup and simmer 5 minutes. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. We think it will definitely need salt. Stir in parsley. Ladle soup into bowls; to with reserved bacon and serve.

When Dave added the parsley to his second bowl, he put it in cold on top of his soup. It would probably be good when added to the pot of warm soup as the directions state. Also, I think he used too much. Anyway, decide for yourselves. I think you will like this easy to prepare, comforting soup. Something I need right now while worrying about mom.