Loaded Potato Soup
Thick, creamy potato soup cooked in bacon drippings, partly mashed for body, finished with sour cream and cheddar and topped like a loaded baked potato.
- Everyday Classics
- Cast iron / Dutch oven
- Pork
- Dinner
- 50 min total
- Serves 6
Ingredients
Ingredients for servings
Enter a number of at least ½, in steps of ½.
Original recipe serves 6. Ingredient amounts adjust automatically. Cooking times and pan size may need adjusting separately.
- 8 slices bacon, chopped
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 3 lb russet potatoes, peeled, cut in 3/4-inch cubes
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup sour cream, plus more for topping
- 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
- 4 green onions, sliced
Steps
Step 1: Cook the bacon in a large pot over medium until crispy, 8 to 10 minutes. Scoop it onto paper towels, leaving about 2 tablespoons of drippings in the pot.
Step 2: Add the butter, onion and celery. Cook 6 minutes until soft. Add the garlic for 30 seconds.
Step 3: Sprinkle in the flour and stir 1 to 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the broth until smooth.
Step 4: Add the potatoes, salt, pepper and thyme. Bring to a boil, then simmer 15 minutes, until the potatoes are fork-tender.
Step 5: Mash about half the potatoes right in the pot with a potato masher, leaving the rest in chunks.
Step 6: Stir in the milk and cream and heat through without boiling. Turn off the heat and stir in the sour cream and 1 cup of the cheddar until melted. Taste and season.
Step 7: Serve topped with the remaining cheddar, the bacon, green onions and a spoon of sour cream.
Swaps
- Potatoes: Yukon Golds make a creamier, more buttery soup.
- Lighter: Skip the cream and use all milk.
- Toppings: Jalapeños, chives or a dash of hot sauce.
Tips
- Mashing half the potatoes thickens the soup naturally without a blender.
- The soup thickens a lot as it sits. Thin leftovers with milk or broth when reheating.
The story
HAM Cooking. Let’s fire it up.
Loaded potato soup is basically a baked potato that decided it wanted to be eaten with a spoon. It’s got bacon, cheddar, sour cream and green onions. It’s the whole baked potato bar, and you didn’t even have to wait in line.
Russet potatoes are starchy, which is exactly what you want here. As they simmer, some of that starch dissolves into the broth, and when you mash half of them, the soup turns thick and creamy without any heavy blending. You keep the chunky half for texture. Cooking the vegetables in bacon drippings adds smoky flavor from the very start.
Once the dairy goes in, keep the heat low. Milk and sour cream can separate if they boil, which leaves the soup looking grainy. Gentle heat, then cheese off the burner, and it stays silky.
HAM out.
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