Cheesy Potato Soup

I've been on a soup and crockpot kick lately.  The weather here has been a little cooler which makes me want to eat warm cozy meals.  Soup= warm and cozy.  I love potato soup, but have never made it at home.  I usually just go to Panera.  After finding this recipe from Betty Crocker and noticing there weren't too many ingredients I decided to give it a try.  Actually, I asked hubs to give it a try since he was off work the day it was on the menu =-).  He said it was pretty easy to throw together.  It was also a very cheap meal that ended up providing dinner for us for two nights.  I was in love with this soup. In my opinion,  it gives Panera a run for their money.  I will say that if you like your potato soup with pieces of potato, this is not the soup for you.  The potatoes were very soft, which I loved.  Hubs also enjoyed this meal.  At first, he asked "where's the meat?".  But, he was definitely satisfied once dinner was finished.  We usually only take leftovers for lunch, like I said before, we ate this two nights in a row.   Do yourself a favor and make this recipe, you'll be a hero in your house! Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Cheesy Potato Soup

1

bag (32 oz) frozen southern-style diced hash brown potatoes, thawed

1/2

cup frozen chopped onion (from 12-oz bag), thawed

1

medium stalk celery, diced (1/2 cup)

1

carton (32-oz) Progresso® chicken broth

1

cup water

3

tablespoons Gold Medal® all-purpose flour

1

cup milk

1

bag (8 oz) shredded American-Cheddar cheese blend (2 cups)

1/4

cup real bacon pieces (from 2.8-oz package)

4

medium green onions, sliced (1/4 cup)

1. In 3- to 4-quart slow cooker, mix potatoes, onion, celery, broth and water.
2. Cover; cook on Low heat setting 6 to 8 hours.
3. In small bowl, mix flour into milk; stir into potato mixture. Increase heat setting to High. Cover; cook 20 to 30 minutes or until mixture thickens. Stir in cheese until melted. Garnish individual servings with bacon and green onions. Sprinkle with pepper if desired.

Makes 6 servings (1 1/2 cups each)