Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Loaded Baked Potato Soup is the perfect winter soup. Loaded with hearty potatoes, bacon, cheese and sour cream, this feel-good, hearty, savory, delicious soup is comfort food of the highest level.
It is soup season here in Upstate New York.
The days are short, the temperature alternates anywhere from mild and pleasant one day to bitterly cold the next, and we still have quite a bit of winter ahead of us.
I like to keep dinner warm and cozy with soups, and this Loaded Baked Potato Soup has quickly become a family favorite.
I have made this soup 3 times since I have stumbled upon it.
And we still can’t get enough of it!
This recipe is actually a mash-up of two different recipes, Favorite Baked Potato Soup at Taste of Home and One Pot Loaded Baked Potato Soup Recipe by Ashlee Marie. Honestly, I don’t think you could go wrong with either recipe, but there where elements of each recipe I liked, and when I combined them I ended up with an amazingly delicious hearty soup my whole family enjoys.
I don’t know about you, but when I make myself a loaded baked potato I really go all out with all the delicious toppings. And this soup has ALL of those yummy baked potato topping ingredients.
I know some people are going to look at this recipe and say “Jen ham AND bacon?? Isn’t that a little heavy on the pork??”
My answer is no, no it is not. It is amazing.
But, I also know some people have dietary restrictions or prefer ham over bacon, or vice versa, so feel free to make the omit either one of these. No need to adjust the quantities. That is the beauty of soup, it is SO EASY to customize to suit your tastes and dietary preferences.
Real Baked Potatoes
There are so many baked potato soup recipes that actually have boiled potatoes in it, and I am not sure why. Baked potatoes are actually really amazing in soup.
Baking the potatoes ahead of time does require a little bit of extra planning, but it is well worth the effort, it makes all the difference in flavor and texture. Once you try using baked potatoes in a soup you will never want to use boiled potatoes again! And if you are crunched on time, you can always bake them in the microwave to speed along the process.
Also, let’s address the soup vegetables I added. I know a lot of loaded baked potato soup recipes only include the traditional Baked Potato ingredients: sour cream, sharp cheddar cheese, chives, onion, and crispy bacon. But I think the addition of carrots and celery really give this soup a depth of flavor without sacrificing or competing with the Baked Potato flavors, I really think you will agree.
Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Loaded with hearty potatoes, bacon, cheese and sour cream, this feel-good, hearty, savory, delicious soup is comfort food of the highest level.
Ingredients
- 8 slices of thick cut bacon
- 1 small onion
- 1 1/2 C Cooked Ham, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 1 cup carrots cut into matchsticks
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 C Chicken Broth
- 1/2 C butter
- 1/2 C flour
- 1 C heavy cream
- 5 C milk
- 1-2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 5-6 large potatoes - baked, peeled, and diced
- 2 C shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 bunch green onions
- 1/2 C sour cream
Instructions
- Add bacon pieces to a soup pot over medium heat and cook bacon until crisp and fat is rendered. Remove the bacon from the pot and set it aside.
- Pour off most of the grease, but do not clean the pot. Add the butter to the pot and melt it.
- Stir in the ham, onion, garlic, celery, and carrots and cook slightly
- To make a roux sprinkle in flour, salt, and pepper in the pot with the vegetables, stir well - cook the flour slightly, but watch carefully for scorching.
- Slowly stir in the chicken broth, milk, and cream and bring to a boil
- Turn the heat down and maintain a gentle simmer until the vegetables are cooked about 10 to 15 minutes. Add the baked potatoes, and cheese and stir
- Add the sour cream, bacon, and the green onions and stir. Serve with more cheese, bacon and green onions
Recipe Adapted From Ashlee Marie