I am super excited to share the Best Potato Soup Recipe with you (and its easy too). If you love homemade soup as much as my family does, you'll want to try this one as soon as possible.
My teenage daughter Samantha is obsessed with this soup! The last few years she asks for it often. Samantha often assists me when cooking or baking which I love!
I am a huge advocate of kids cooking at every age. I do love cooking alongside my kids, next time however she is in charge of this soup recipe, start to finish!
If you are looking for a totally satisfying soup that can work as a meal for lunch or dinner, this Loaded Potato Soup is it. Unless you are super hungry, you really don't need anything else to go with it. This soup robust is loaded with flavor and its easy to customize to your taste.
Potatoes are loaded with good carbs, giving you lots of vitamin C, fiber, potassium, B6 and more.
I may or may not be a little obsessed with soup as evidenced by my Soup Pinterest Board. If you dig enjoy making and eating soups, especially in the fall and winter, check out my board and follow along to discover some amazing recipes.
Table of Contents
Instructions
- To make this soup, you'll use everyday ingredients that work together in harmony. You only need to use 1 pot for this soup. You will however need either an immersion blender (stick blender) or a traditional blender to cream the soup.
- Start by cooking the bacon in your soup pot till crispy. Remove the bacon, blot, set aside and allow it to cool as you work on the soup.
- Next sauté the onions and potatoes on the bacon fat for 5 minutes or so, then place them in a bowl while you use the same pot to make the roux (which thickens the soup).
- After you make the roux, slowly add in your milk and then stock per the instructions in the recipe card. Next add the potato mixture back in and allow it to simmer until potatoes are soft.
- After allowing the soup to cool for 30 minutes or so, either use an immersion blender or traditional blender and puree the soup (if you want some potato chunks to remain you can allow for that as well).
- Tip: Remember heat has power, so if you are using a traditional blender to puree, cover it with a dish town and go slow. Just be careful of lid trying to come off.
- Add in your cheese (soup will be warm enough to melt it), taste and adjust seasoning. Add in red pepper flakes and smoked paprika, taste and adjust seasoning adding in additional S&P if necessary.
- Ladle into bowls, garnish with reserved bacon, scallions and additional cheese if you wish and dig in!
Variations
- Change up the type of potato used. Any potato will work. Different potato's will give you slightly different flavor.
- Change up the cheese. I enjoy making my soup with half Monterrey Jack cheese and half Irish Cheddar or sharp cheddar. You can use all Cheddar, a Mexican blend of shredded cheese or experiment with what you have on-hand.
- Adding sour cream is not for me (or my family for that matter). We just don't enjoy the flavor it adds to this particular soup. However if you enjoy it feel free to add some.free to experiment.
Hope you try this delicious soup which is one of our family favorites! Taste and adjust to how you like it and enjoy!
If you enjoy soups as much as my family does, take a look at these favorites - Tomato Detox Soup(crazy good & good for you!), 15 Minute Tortellini Spinach Soup (family favorite!), Chicken Pot Pie Soup, Black Bean & Bacon Soup or Easy Sweet Potato Soup.
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The BEST Potato Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 10 slices bacon, chopped
- 4 large potatoes, peeled and cut into small 1-inch or so pieces 5-6 cups when cubed
- 1 cup chopped sweet onion I like Vidalia
- 1 bay leaf
- Pinch black pepper and salt Salt lightly since the addition of cheese will add salt as well. Feel free to season again after soup is finished.
- 4 TBS butter
- ⅓ cup flour
- 4 cups milk
- 1 ½ cups vegetable or chicken stock I prefer vegetable for this
- 4 scallions, snipped
- 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded I like 1 cup shar cheddar and 1 cup Monterrey jack (4 oz of each)
- Optional: red pepper flakes and smoked paprika
Instructions
- Snip or chop bacon into small pieces and sauté in a soup pot until crispy. Once crisp, remove, blot dry and allow it to cool. Once cool, transfer to a small ramekin or bowl until ready to serve the soup.
- Place potatoes, onions and a bay leaf into the soup pot with the bacon drippings and sauté over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring often. Season with black pepper and a pinch or two of salt.
- Remove pot from heat. Scrape the potatoes and onions into a bowl and set aside.
- Place butter into the pot, return to heat. Once butter melts, add in flour and whisk together allowing it to cook enough to remove the raw flour taste, about a minute. Be sure you whisk the mixture the whole time.
- Slowly add in your milk, whisking vigorously as you do. Allow it to just begin to bubble and thicken then, add in 1 ½ cups of the broth/stock, whisking vigorously as you do.
- Carefully add the potato mixture back into the pot, cover and simmer on low for 15-20 minutes with lid on, stirring often. Remove from heat, leaving the lid on, and allow the soup to sit for a bit (which ensures potatoes are fully cooked and flavors mingle).
- Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth. If you enjoy chunks of potato in the soup, blend less. You can also puree the soup in batches in your blender. Just remember that heat has energy, so place a dish towel on top of the blender lid and press down firmly ensuring no soup spurts out.
- Return soup to your pot, stir in the cheese until melted. Taste and adjust seasoning. This is also where you can choose to add additional broth/stock to thin the soup a little if necessary or according to your preference. I also add in red pepper flakes here as well as about 1 teaspoon smoked paprika.
- Ladle into serving bowls, top with snipped scallions, bacon & more cheese if you like. Enjoy!
Clarissa says
The best!
Granny Jean says
Can I use cornstarch instead of flour? If so, how much cornstarch equals the flour in the recipe?
Colleen says
Hi! I have not done that with this soup, however I can't see why not. The potatoes themselves help thicken it. I found this in looking up your question. Hope it helps and good luck! - Substituting Cornstarch for Flour as a Gluten-Free Alternative. It's important to note that cornstarch has twice the thickening power of flour.