Tony Roma’s Baked Potato Soup recipe

The thick-and-creamy texture and rich taste of Tony Roma’s
best-selling soup can be easily cloned with basic ingredients.
This TSR version is thickened with a little flour, some
half-and-half and, most notably, instant mashed potatoes.
Give yourself an hour to bake the potatoes and around 30
minutes to prepare the soup. Garnish each serving with
shredded cheese, crumbled bacon and green onions and you
will have a home kitchen Tony Roma’s recreation that will
surely impress.

2 medium potatoes (about 2 cups chopped)
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup diced white onion
2 tablespoons flour
4 cups chicken stock
2 cups water
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 cups instant mashed potatoes
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/8 teaspoon thyme
1 cup half and half

Garnish
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup crumbled cooked bacon
2 green onions, chopped (green part only)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and bake the potatoes or 1
hour or until done. When potatoes have cooked remove them
from the oven to cool.

2. As potatoes cool prepare soup by melting butter in a large
saucepan, and sauté onion until light brown. Add the flour to
the onions and stir to make a roux.

3. Add stock, water, cornstarch, mashed potatoes, and spices to
the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5
minutes.

4. Cut potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out contents with
a large spoon. Discard skin. Chop baked potato with a large
knife to make chunks that are about 1/2-inch in size.

5. Add chopped baked potato and half-and-half to the saucepan,
bring soup back to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer the soup
for another 15 minutes or until it is thick.

6. Spoon about 1 1/2 cups of soup into a bowl and top with about
a tablespoon of shredded cheddar cheese, a half tablespoon of
crumbled bacon and a teaspoon or so of chopped green onion.
Repeat for remaining servings.

Serves 6 to 8.