Frank was saying he wanted to start making soups. This loaded baked potato soup is easy to put together and you probably have everything on hand. Makes about 2 large mugfuls.
Loaded Baked Potato Soup
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 slices bacon
- 1/2 cup onion, chopped
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced, about 1 tablespoon
- 1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes (2 to 3 medium), peeled and diced
- 4 cups (1 quart) chicken or vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
- 1/2 cup shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper, plus more as needed
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup snipped fresh chives or finely chopped scallion greens, for serving
Set a paper towel-lined plate or a rack near the stove. In a large saucepan over medium heat, add the oil and heat until shimmering. Add the bacon and cook, turning occasionally, until crisp, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to the prepared plate to drain, leaving the oil and bacon drippings in the pan.
Add the onion and garlic to the pan and cook, stirring, until it starts to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the potatoes and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low to maintain a simmer. Cook until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.
Depending on how chunky or smooth you like your soup, you can mash the potatoes in the pot with a potato masher or use an immersion blender for a smoother soup. Add the sour cream, 1/4 cup of the cheese (about 1 ounce)and the pepper.
Cook, stirring, until the cheese is melted, and the sour cream is combined, about 2 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding salt or more pepper, if needed.
Ladle the soup into bowls, Crumble the bacon and sprinkle it over the soup, along with the remaining cheese and the chives or scallion greens, serve and enjoy!
My verdict:
On a cold January afternoon, this potato soup was exactly what we needed for lunch! If you felt the need to cook more bacon to use as a topping (or nibble on) feel free. I used an immersion blender to puree the soup but left some nice chunks of potato for texture.
The recipe calls for reduced-fat sour cream, which we had, but I’m sure regular sour cream, or even plain Greek yogurt would work.
I used some shredded cheddar mix cheese but kept thinking that some crumbled blue cheese or pepper jack would have been worth checking out.
This is probably going to be a go-to soup, so there will be time to experiment with cheeses. And everything goes better with bacon, right?
