I absolutely love this soup. It doesn’t have to be cold weather for me to enjoy a rich, hearty bowl.
What is there not to love about loads of fried crisp bacon, chunks of delicious potatoes and freshly ground cheddar?
Yum! The fried bacon was enough for me.
Loaded Bake Potato Soup is perfect for springtime entertaining when the weather is still a little chilly. This is a great soup to finish cooking in a slow cooker. Put the cooked baked potatoes in a slow cooker and add all the ingredients, after you make the rouge, to the slow cooker. Cook on low heat for about 2 to 3 hours. Put you topping in small bowls so your guest can add their own toppings to their bowls.
Like I said, it’s rich and hearty which means it warms the body and soul and fills your house with a wonderful aroma especially with all that bacon frying. Your house can’t help but smell “heavenly”.
The base of the soup is simple. We start out making a buttery roux. Next we add a combination of whole milk and a little bit of heavy cream and that little bit of cream makes a BIG difference. Later on we will add sour cream to the soup base for MORE richness. The combination of milk, heavy cream and sour cream is one the secrets to the incredible rich taste and smoothness.
For the right amount of texture here’s my tip, I remove about half of the baked potato skins. I also mash some of the potatoes so you have a nice combination of half of the potato chunks with skins and half without the skins along with a small amount of mashed potatoes.
The toppings really complete this soup and makes it perfect for entertaining because it’s simply so beautiful! Top with crumbled bacon, cheese, green onions, chives, chopped ham or a dollop of sour cream. You can top with anything you like.
This recipe makes quite a bit so you can always freeze any leftovers, but I doubt very seriously that you will have a drop left. But it does freeze well so don’t worry about the abundance.
Loaded Baked Potato Soup is delicious served with “Hot Cheese Toast.” Makes complete meal!
Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Prep Time: 30 minutes- Total Time: 2 hours (includes baking potatoes)
Yield: serves 6 to 8
Category: Soups
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeIngredients
- 4 Idaho potatoes, baked, cooled and dice (half with skins and half without)
- 16 slices of bacon cooked crisp and crumbled, (set some aside for garnishing, about 5 slices of the crumbled)
- 1 ¼ cups (1 ½ sticks) butter
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 6 ½ cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 4 cups freshly shredded cheddar cheese, divided
- 1 sour cream, divided
- 6 green onions, chopped (saved 2 for garnish)
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt or to taste
- 1 teaspoon white pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place potatoes on baking sheet and bake for about an hour and 10 minutes. Let cool and dice.
- Fry bacon until crisp and crumble. Set aside about 5 to 6 slices of the crumble bacon for Garnish.
- Melt butter in a heavy saucepan and slowly wish in flour to make a roux. Whisk until thick and clear.
- Slowly whisk in milk and heavy cream. Cook over low heat for about 10 minutes. Add 3 cups cheese and stir constantly until cheese has melted.
- Fold in sour ½ cup sour cream. Add onions, diced baked potatoes, bacon, salt and pepper. Heat until hot but do not boil.
- Top each bowl with the remaining crumbled bacon, cheese, onions and sour cream if desired.
Notes
Make ahead tip/Freeze: You can bake the potatoes a day ahead. Let them cool before storing in the refrigerator. Bacon can also be fried the day before. Heat in the microwave to crisp up.
Leftover soup maybe frozen up to 3 months. Soup will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
