Nutritional Value For Yukon Potato Soup

The creamy, yellow flesh of Yukon gold potatoes is especially favored by chefs and home cooks for mashed potatoes and soups. Because Yukons have thin skins, it's easy to keep the skins on to gain a little extra nutrition in both dishes. According to Sharon Tyler Herbst and Ron Herbst, authors of "The Deluxe Food Lover's Companion," while Yukon gold potatoes are relatively new to American grocery stores, they are in fact a "heritage" vegetable that dates back centuries.

The Potato

One medium Yukon potato with the skin on contains 110 calories, with no calories from fat, 26 g of carbohydrates and 4 g of protein. Potatoes are rich in vitamins B-6 and C and are high in potassium and fiber. The high level of potassium in potatoes is especially helpful for children and adolescents who do not get enough of that mineral, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Basic Soup Nutrition

Plan for a 2-cup serving of soup to have for dinner and a 1-cup serving for lunch. A 2-cup serving made with 1 medium Yukon gold potato, 1 cup of fat-free chicken broth, 1 cup of nonfat milk and 1/4 cup of onions contains 236 calories. Adding milk gives you an extra 4 g of protein along with a boost in calcium, and vitamins A and D. The onion adds a bit more nutritional value and fiber as well.

Adding More Nutritional Value

Add a carrot and chopped parsley or other herbs, such as thyme or dill, for flavor and extra nutrition with very few extra calories. Food Network chef, Alton Brown, adds leeks to Yukon gold potato soup for the delicate green color they add as well as for the additional flavor and nutrition. One leek adds approximately 1 g of protein, 8 g of carbohydrates, 2 g of sugar and 1 g of fiber to the soup, as well as lots of vitamins and minerals. Add a green salad and a slice of rustic, whole-grain bread to round out a dinner meal.

Commercially Prepared Soup

Commercially prepared potato soup provides convenience, but also gives you high levels of sodium and a long list of chemical additives. Campbell's Well & Good Yukon Gold Potato soup contains 320 calories for a 2-cup serving, which includes 2 g of fat, 72 g of carbohydrates, 4 g of fiber, 8 g of sugar and 4 g of protein. Two cups of soup also contain 2,800 mg of sodium which is 58 percent of your daily recommended amount.

Making Home Made Soup

The advantage of preparing your own Yukon potato soup is that you can control the ingredients and the amount of salt you use. You can make Yukon gold potato soup in as little as 15 minutes. Scrub the potatoes well and cut into large chunks. Cook them for approximately 10 minutes along with a 1/4 cup of onion, also chopped into large pieces, until you can easily pierce the potatoes with a sharp knife. Ladle the mixture into a blender and blend, beginning on low speed and moving up in speed until the ingredients are liquefied. Return the mixture to the pot, add 1 cup of milk and reheat. Add salt and pepper to taste and garnish with 1/4 tsp. of chopped parsley.