Blue Bell ice cream returning to Colorado Springs in early spring

Get your favorite ice cream bowls ready: Blue Bell is returning to Colorado Springs.

Blue Bell ice cream, gone from Springs-area retailers for nearly two years because of a Listeria outbreak, will be back on store shelves March 27, the Texas-based ice cream maker announced Monday.

It hasn't been determined which stores will stock Blue Bell, but "we anticipate that we'll return to most of the major retailers and accounts," said Blue Bell spokeswoman Jenny Van Dorf. Before it was pulled, Blue Bell could be found at Walmart, Safeway, King Soopers and other area retailers.

In addition to Colorado Springs, Blue Bell will be back at stores in Monument, Woodland Park and Pueblo. It's also returning to the Denver area, Boulder, Castle Rock, Fort Collins, Greeley and Cheyenne, Wyo.

Blue Bell halted sales nationwide in April 2015 after its ice cream was linked to a Listeria outbreak in 10 states, according to news stories and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's website. Ten people were hospitalized as a result, and three deaths were reported in Kansas, according to the FDA.

"When we entered Colorado, that was one of our most successful market entries," Van Dorf said. "We're looking forward to being able to return."