Potato PepperJack Soup

This is so yummy. The combination of vegetables and bacon, along with the kick from the pepperjack cheese, make this delicious. I got this recipe from my friend, Christina D. I made some changes, which are reflected in the recipe below. Jed and I don't like excess liquid in soup, so I almost always cut back on the liquids in soup recipes so that they turn out chunkier. This recipe originally called for 3 cups of broth and 4 cups (1 quart) of half&half. I used 1 cup of cream and a little leftover half&half I had in my fridge instead of the quart of half&half the recipe called for, and I thought it turned out just perfect - creamy but not too rich. Also, it calls for 1/2 c. butter and 1/2 c. flour for the roux, but I've successfully used 1/4 to 1/3 c. butter and 1/4 to 1/3 c. flour to decrease calories a little, for what it's worth.

Potato PepperJack Soup
submitted by Erin  ~  The Sisters Cafe

2 T olive oil
1 medium green bell pepper, diced
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
1 yellow onion, diced (I use a little less, about 2/3 of an onion)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
2 ½ cups chicken broth (I use water and ~3 bouillon cubes)
4 cups diced potato
3 strips bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
1/3 c. milk or half&half
½ tsp. salt (add more if you do not use bouillon cubes)
scant ½ tsp. white pepper
1 tsp. thyme
scant 1 cup shredded pepperjack cheese
1 cup heavy cream
½ cup butter
½ flour

Boil potatoes in water until tender; about 15 minutes. In the meantime, combine olive oil, peppers, onion, garlic and carrot in a medium sauce pan. Sauté on medium heat until vegetables are soft. Drain all liquid from potatoes and add vegetables and broth to the pot. Add bacon, milk or half&half, salt, pepper and thyme. Prepare roux by melting butter in a separate pot and stirring in flour to make a paste. Slowly add cream and allow to bubble, stirring, until roux thickens and comes away from the sides of the pan. Add roux to soup mixture along with the cheese. If necessary, add milk to desired consistency. Serves about 6.