Loaded Baked Potato Soup

[grillqueen79]

I love the Fall because we have so many really great soup recipes. I have got a slow cooker full of loaded baked potato soup going right now, and I can't wait for dinner.

6 large baking potatoes, peeled, cut in 1/2-inch cubes
1 large onion, chopped
1 quart chicken broth
3 cloves garlic, minced (or pressed)
1/4 cup butter
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 cup cream or half-and-half cream
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1 cup sour cream (optional)
8 slices bacon, fried & crumbled
cheese, for sprinkling
Combine first seven ingredients in a large crockpot; cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 8 hours (potato should be tender).

Mash mixture until potatoes are coarsely chopped and soupy is slightly thickened. Stir in cream, cheese and chives.

Top with sour cream, sprinkle with bacon and more cheese.

 

[TopChef]

That sounds fantastic. I love potato soup! I have never added sour cream before, but I bet it makes it so rich and delicious. I wish I had some bacon. I have everything else in the recipe and could make this tonight. But it wouldn't be right without bacon!

 

[BBQueen]

Oh my goodness that made my mouth water just reading about it. Potato soup is one of my favorites but I have never tried making it myself. I will have to print this recipe out though so I can try it.

 

[Lincoln]

I think I may try making this recipe too. I love potato soup. I am thinking it might go good with some corn bread. Do you usually have anything else with the soup?

 

[Hilt]

For me potato soup is my favorite but I have to watch how many times I do it loaded style, otherwise my waist line might not forgive me. I have never tried fried cheese before but I might need to give that a go, sounds great.

 

[JohnB]

This recipe sounds like it would be a real hit at our house. It has so many different ingredients in it. I think we'll be letting our belts our a notch or two after eating all this soup, but I'm putting ingredients on the grocery list as I'm typing. Thanks for the recipe!

 

[grillin_n_chillin]

Grillqueen79 - That recipe sounds absolutely delicious!! It's making me hungry, ha ha! I made beef/vegetable soup yesterday, to get us through the next few days, but after that runs out, I think I'm going to have to give this soup a try!

 

[Burg14]

Seriously you post this after I already have my lasagna made and in the oven! This sounds absolutely wonderful. I won't ask the calorie count though. I love loaded baked potatoes as does my family. This is something I'm going to try this coming weekend.

 

[grillqueen79]

This has become a staple in our house and we have started adding carrots and broccoli to it as well. That doesn't really do anything about the calorie count, but it does give you some more veggies. I am thinking about adding a little spinach next time too.

 

[Hilt]

I wish my family loved it enough to become a staple. I am pretty sure if you left me on an island somewhere with potatoes I would never starve to death but my family just might with their picky ways.

 

[ohiotom76]

I think they meant to fry the bacon, not the cheese, lol.

This sounds like a great recipe. I am curious though how the cheese holds up in it. Does it separate and become all congealed? Or does it melt smoothly into the rest of the ingredients?

SeriousEats did a really interesting article on how to prevent cheese from separating when making cheese sauces, and their secret ingredient was to toss the shredded cheese in some cornstarch before adding it to the warm milk. I wonder if the potato starch would take care of that instead.

 

[Whitewolf2578]

Good deal, this sounds freaking awesome. I was thinking about making some sort of soup for dinner, I may just have to try this. I bet the bacon gives it a blast of flavor as it always seems to do in other soups I have made.

 

[evelynmcgregor]

I love any kind of potato soup, and so does my daughter and grandson who live with me. In the winter time, I make soup often and potato is always on the request list. So I have put this recipe in my file and will definitly be makeing as soon as the NorthAlabama summer goes away.

 

[bingo33]

I will be adding this recipe to my "must-try" recipes for fall. I love homemade soup. My kids love it too. We all love baked potatoes and what could be better than bacon and potatoes!