Loaded Baked Potato Soup

For the soup:
1. In a medium-sized, heavy bottom saucepan, add olive oil and heat to medium-high heat. Once the oil is aromatic and shimmering, add onion and garlic. Saute until translucent and aromatic, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat for a moment.
2. Wash, peel and dice the potatoes and add them to the saucepan. Put it back over medium heat. Add the broth and water and cover pot. Allow it to come to a nice rolling boil, nothing too crazy but not quite a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender when poked with a fork. Using a whisk, mash about half of the potato chunks so they thicken the broth mixture.
3. Remove pot from heat and stir in sour cream, bacon and cheese until well incorporated. Serve warm in bowls and garnished with a dollop of sour cream, additional cheese, extra bacon bits and garden fresh parsley pesto.

For the pesto:
1. Toss all the pesto ingredients except the oil into a food processor or blender and pulse several times until the parsley and garlic cloves are finely minced.
2. Next drizzle in the olive oil while pulsing the blender/food processor. Drizzle the oil in slowly, giving the mixture time to incorporate the oil as you pour it in. Process until pesto is smooth, then serve! Freeze a portion of it for later or keep refrigerated and use within three days.​