Warm, comforting, and so delicious, this classic potato soup is the ultimate bowl of comfort food. Becuase more cheese is always better, this classic soup gets a double hit of cheese–both stirred into the soup and sprinkled over the top. Bacon bits lend a baked potato flavor and feel to this creamy, crowd-pleasing soup. Simply place the ingredients into a slow cooker and let it do all of the work for you.
– This has to be one of the best tasting potato soup recipes I’ve tried. I think next time I will try adding some shredded cheese in the last step or stir some into a hot bowl of soup for an added kick. I did find that this recipe takes much longer to prepare than the recipe states. The times listed in the preparation are assuming you’re starting out with peeled/diced potatoes, chopped onions, chopped celery, etc. If you have none of this prepared ahead of time (and who does?) then this recipe will take much longer to make. Sure, it’s worth the time it takes to make it…but don’t use this recipe for as last-minute dinner when you’re in a hurry or when you’re really tired and just wanting a good soup. It took me about two hours to make this from start to finish. The cooking of the potatoes in the middle of the recipe before the stock is added is an excellent step and it helps the potatoes cook much faster than they would have just by boiling alone. The puree step at near the end is very important. It highly affected the texture and flavor of the soup. Don’t skip that step! Also, please don’t think that “chicken broth” and “chicken stock” are the same thing. They’re not! I wasn’t able to find chicken stock at Walmart, I had to go to Albertsons. If you use chicken broth you’ll get a much different result. I also noticed this recipe has no salt added. I did find adding salt to my bowl of soup helped the flavor even more. I suggest adding some salt! I hi
– It can’t be too lumpy. Potato soup has to have a pureed, smooth potato component.
– It has to be full of flavor or I’ll die a thousand deaths.
– And most of all…it has to make me close my eyes, sigh, and feel like everything till the end of time is going to be okay.
– But other than those things, I’m not the least bit picky about potato soup!
To Make this Recipe You’Il Need the following ingredients:
Ingredients
2 1/2 pounds baby red potatoes, sliced into small bite sized pieces
1/2 lb. uncooked bacon, finely diced
1 medium onion, diced
1/4 bunch celery, diced
8 cups milk
3 cups water
4 chicken bouillon cubes (use 1 cup of the hot potato water to dissolve, then use the 3 cups of water)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup salted butter
3/4 cup flour
1/4 bunch freshly chopped parsley
1 cup whipping cream
For garnish
Shredded cheese
fried bacon bits
chopped green onions
Directions:
In large pot, boil potatoes in water 10 minutes. Drain and set aside. In sauté pan, cook bacon until crisp. Drain bacon fat and place on paper towel over plate to drain more. Add onion and celery to bacon pan over medium-high heat until celery is tender, about 5 minutes. To the large potato pan, add milk, water, bullion, salt and pepper. Cook over medium-high heat until mixture is very hot, about 8 minutes, stirring often. Do not let mixture boil. In small, heavy saucepan melt butter. Add flour and mix well. Cook over medium-low heat until mixture bubbles, stirring 2 to 3 minutes to make a roux. While constantly stirring soup, add roux slowly until soup is thick and creamy, about 4 minutes. Stir in parsley, reserved potatoes, and cream. Garnish with cheese, bacon bits, onions or all three. Serve hot.