This loaded baked potato soup is creamy and filling. Loaded with crispy bacon and cheddar cheese, it’s the ultimate comfort food!
Biscuit Loves Potatoes
Yes, you read that right. Biscuit loves potatoes.
Biscuit is my 11 y/o son, called thus because we couldn’t agree on a name for him until he was 3 days old. We finally chose one when the hospital said we really should name him so they could file the birth certificate.
But the nickname stuck.
We introduced Biscuit to his very first french fry on his first birthday, and he’s never looked back when it comes to potatoes. Whether they are pub fries, steak fries, fast food fries, mashed, baked, sliced, grilled, or Golden Brown and Delicious, he’s never met a potato he didn’t like.
Loaded Baked Potato
The same could be said for bacon, so when we introduced Biscuit to the glory that is a loaded baked potato, it was like the heavens opened up.
He was a bit wary about a loaded baked potato in soup form, however. But as I was putting this creamy soup together, he popped into the kitchen to tell me it actually smelled pretty good.
Creamy and Easy
I like this recipe because there aren’t any specialized ingredients. You will likely have most of it on hand already–well, assuming you eat a lot of bacon, like we do, and keep a pound in your refrigerator on a regular basis.
Also, you don’t need heavy cream, just regular milk. What makes this loaded baked potato soup creamy is the roux.
A roux is a mixture of melted butter and flour and serves as the base for a lot of stews and sauces. It’s basically a thickener, and if cooked to a deep brown, provides a lot of flavor.
When the milk and chicken broth are first added to this soup, it will seem too thin. But as it simmers and the potatoes break down, it will gradually thicken. If it gets too thick, thin it out additional milk or broth, adding a little at a time.
Pro Tips
There are a couple of important tips for this loaded baked potato soup. First, try to keep your potatoes and carrots cubed evenly, 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch, so they cook in 20 minutes.
Notice mine are uniform in the picture above? That’s because I have a handy-dandy chopper thingy.
Mine is about 15 years old and came from Pampered Chef, but I don’t believe they are available any longer. You can still buy a similar chopper online though. They also come with extra bells and whistles for additional sized cubes or spiralizing.
I promise, it will make your life easier and your prep faster. Plus, it’s kind of fun (and relieves stress) to wack your vegetables into little cubes.
My second tip is to keep the heat down as low as you can while simmering the soup. Cream and milk-based soups burn easily. You may need to raise the temperature slightly to bring it to a simmer, but lower it as quickly as you can.
On my glass top stove, I lowered the burner from 4, which is what I sauteed the onion and garlic, to 2.8. Even that was too high. I could feel the soup sticking to the bottom of the Dutch oven. I finally lowered it to 2.4, and that seemed like the perfect spot.
Lastly, the salt and pepper amounts are only guidelines. You can adjust the seasoning in the final phase when you add the cheese and sour cream, or, as we did, season at the table. I added more pepper but no salt, Biscuit added only salt, and Mr. Alexander added both!
Garnish with the remaining green onions/scallions, additional shredded cheese, sour cream–and, of course–bacon! Serve the loaded baked potato soup with a slice of this easy, no-knead Peasant Bread and you’ve got the ultimate meal.
Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 1 lb bacon diced, divided
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 bunch green onions, white/light green and dark green parts separated diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1/4 cup flour
- 3 cups milk
- 1 cup chicken stock or broth
- 4 russet potatoes cubed 1/2" by 1/2"
- 2 medium carrots cubed 1/2" by 1/2"
- 2 tsp kosher salt, or more to taste
- 2 tsp fresh ground pepper, or more to taste
- 1 cup mild cheddar cheese shredded, plus more for garnish
- 1/2 cup sour cream plus more for garnish
Instructions
- Heat a skillet to medium low heat and add diced bacon. Cook until crispy, stirring occasionally. Remove to a plate lined with paper towel to drain, reserving 1 tablespoon of bacon fat.
- Meanwhile, peel and cube potatoes and carrots. Dice the green onions, separating the white and light green parts. Mince the garlic.
- In a Dutch oven or large sauce pan, heat olive oil and 1 tablespoon of bacon fat over medium low heat. Add white and light green parts of the green onion, and the minced garlic. Saute 3-5 minutes until the bottom of the Dutch oven begins to brown.
- Melt butter, then add the flour, stirring constantly to create a roux. Whisk in milk and chicken broth. Add cubed potatoes, carrots, 1/4 of the remaining dark green onion/scallions, 1/4 of the diced bacon, salt and pepper.
- Simmer 15-20 minutes on medium low heat, stirring occasionally, until potatoes and carrots are tender. Stir in shredded cheese and sour cream. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
- Serve hot, garnished with remaining diced bacon, scallions, sour cream and shredded cheese, as desired.
I can’t wait to try it!
Elizabeth, it was SO GOOD. Biscuit was a little wary, but he said it was amazing and wants it again!