Creamy Potato Soup
Each spoonful of this luscious soup delivers buttery potatoes, sharp cheese, and smoky bacon. Plus, there’s a hint of sour cream, which elevates richness and gives the soup a little tang. Imagine loaded baked potatoes, piled high with sour cream, bacon, cheese, and green onions, but in soup form.
This recipe was written for the Arizona Republic.
This potato soup is easy to make, with everyday ingredients! The best part about this cheesy, creamy potato soup is that it’s made with pantry staples. There’s no need for fancy ingredients or sophisticated equipment. You need one pot, one spoon, a blender, and a handful of provisions. In addition, this easy, one-pot meal is ready in about 30 minutes, making it an excellent option for any busy evening.
Ingredients needed for this potato soup
- Bacon. The first step in this recipe involves cooking bacon until browned and crisp. No potato soup is complete without the addition of smoky bits of pork. Not only does the crispy bacon add texture, but the bacon fat is used to caramelize the sweet onion. Any bacon variety will work, so choose your favorite or what you have on hand. If desired, you may substitute diced ham, just note that you will not have the rendered bacon fat to sauté the onion. When using ham, add 1 tablespoon of butter to the pan (for a total of 4 tablespoons) before sautéing the onion.
- Potatoes. I prefer Yukon gold potatoes for this recipe because they’re delightfully creamy and boast more of a buttery flavor than other potato varieties. That said, you can use Russet/Idaho potatoes as well.
- Aromatics. Onion and garlic are used to build the base flavor in this soup, and thanks to their aromatic quality, you need little else. I favor yellow onions because they have a higher sugar content, which means they caramelize beautifully. While I find the onion and garlic sufficient for seasoning this soup, you may also add diced celery and carrots, about 1 cup of each.
- Cheddar cheese. Both mild and sharp cheddar cheese varieties can be added to this soup. For a hint of cheese flavor, choose mild cheddar, and for a more intense cheese presence, choose sharp cheddar.
- Milk, cream, and sour cream. In addition to chicken broth, we use milk and heavy cream to create a rich stock for simmering the potatoes. This is not a low-calorie soup, so I encourage you to use whole milk and heavy cream as instructed! Sour cream is added just before serving to enhance richness, add tang, and catapult that loaded potato vibe.
- Green onions. Fresh, grassy green onions (AKA scallions) add a burst of flavor and vibrant color to this thick, velvety soup. They’re light and airy and the ideal accompaniment. If desired, you may substitute chopped fresh chives.
Cut your potatoes into uniform pieces. I suggest cutting your peeled potatoes into 1-inch chunks to ensure that the pieces all finish cooking at the same time, and in a short amount of time. Larger pieces that take longer to cook may not be fork-tender when it comes time to puree your soup.
Use an immersion blender or regular blender. You can make this soup as smooth or as chunky as desired. I love an almost-smooth potato soup, but you can certainly leave chunks of potato if preferred. When using an immersion blender, simply puree the soup right in the pot. When using a regular blender, let the soup cool slightly before pureeing, and then fill the blender no more than halfway (work in batches). I also suggest covering the top of the blender with a dish towel in case there’s spillover. Note: Do not add the cooked bacon to the soup until after it’s pureed!
What should you serve with your potato soup? I suggest partnering this soup with a crisp green salad and warm, crusty bread. This soup is quite filling, so you don’t need a bevy of dishes on the side.
Creamy Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 8 ounces uncooked bacon, chopped
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup chopped yellow onion
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 pounds gold potatoes, peeled and diced, about 6 to 8 potatoes, depending on the size of the potatoes
- 4 cups chicken broth, or chicken stock
- 2 cups milk, preferably whole milk
- 2/3 cup heavy cream
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2/3 cup sour cream
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, plus more for serving
- Chopped green onions for serving
Instructions
- Cook the bacon in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook until browned and crisp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a plate, reserving 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat in the pan.
- Add the butter to the pan. When the butter is bubbly, add the onion and cook until tender and caramelized, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add the flour and stir to coat. Cook for 30 to 60 seconds, until smooth.
- Add the potatoes, broth, milk, cream, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil.
- Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are fork tender.
- Reduce the heat to low. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until you reach the desired consistency. Alternatively, puree the soup in batches in a blender. When using a blender, let the soup cool slightly before pureeing, and then only fill the blender halfway. Pro tip: Cover the top of your blender with a dish towel in case there’s spillover.
- When the soup is pureed to your liking, fold in the sour cream, cheddar cheese, and most of the bacon, reserving some of the bacon for garnish.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and top with reserved bacon, cheddar cheese, and green onions.
- Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight before reheating in a saucepan over medium heat.