Easy Loaded Potato Soup
This easy loaded potato soup cooks bacon, builds a roux with bacon grease and flour, simmers diced potatoes in seasoned broth, and finishes with heavy cream and two kinds of cheddar for a rich creamy one-pot dinner.
Servings 6
Ingredients
- 10 strips bacon uncooked
- ½ yellow onion diced
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 4 cups chicken broth or bone broth
- 20 oz simply potatoes diced potatoes
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper optional
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 8 oz mild cheddar cheese freshly shredded
- 8 oz Colby jack cheese freshly shredded
- Green onions for garnish
Instructions
- In a dutch oven or large pot on medium heat, add diced uncooked bacon. Once the bacon is fully cooked, remove the bacon bits from the dutch oven and set aside.
- Carefully remove excess grease from pan leaving about ¼ cup of bacon grease remaining in dutch oven.
- Next, add diced yellow onion and cook in bacon grease until translucent. Once the onions are translucent, add minced garlic and stir until well combined.
- Next add ¼ cup all purpose flour into the pan and mix for 1-2 minutes until well combined . This will help thicken the soup.
- Once the flour is well combined, add chicken broth or bone broth, seasonings listed above and stir.
- Next, add refrigerated simply potatoes diced potatoes into dutch oven. Stir until well combined. Bring liquid to a simmer and cover for 5-10 minutes. Stir every couple minutes to help prevent the potatoes from sticking to bottom of pan.
- Once the potatoes are softened, turn heat down to low and use potato masher to help combine the potatoes to your preferred consistency.
- Add room temperature heavy cream, mild cheddar and Colby jack cheese. Stir until well combined. Add ¾ bacon bits that were originally set aside into the dutch oven. Save remaining for garnish.
- Let it simmer for 5-10 minutes.
- Serve immediately. Top with bacon, sour cream, cheese and green onions, and enjoy.
Notes
- Leave about ¼ cup of bacon grease in the pot after cooking the bacon. That is the flavor base for the entire soup and cooking the onion in it rather than plain oil makes a significant difference in the finished depth of flavor.
- Make sure the heavy cream is at room temperature before adding it. Cold cream added to a hot soup can cause it to curdle or break. Pull it from the refrigerator when you start cooking the bacon.
- Freshly shredded cheese only. Pre-shredded bag cheese has anti-caking agents that prevent it from melting smoothly and you will end up with a grainy rather than creamy soup.
- Mash the potatoes to your preferred consistency before the cream and cheese go in. Fully smooth produces a creamy, velvety soup. Partially mashed keeps chunks throughout for a more hearty, textured result.
