Loaded Baked Potato Soup
All the flavors you love in a loaded baked potato are found in this easy, thick and creamy soup! Loaded Baked Potato Soup is made with leftover or make-ahead baked potatoes, crispy bacon, melted Cheddar cheese, tangy sour cream and green onions or chives....yum! This is truly the best potato soup recipe I've ever tasted.
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 284kcal
Cost: 10
Ingredients
- 5 large baking potatoes or 10 small potatoes (about 2.5 pounds)
- 8 slices uncooked bacon
- 2 tablespoons butter (salted or unsalted)
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups whole or 2% milk
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoons ground black pepper
- 8 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- Optional toppings: Green onions, chives, sour cream, avocado, jalapeno peppers
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F degrees. Wash potatoes; prick several times with a fork. Place on a baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour until tender; let cool.
- Meanwhile, cook bacon in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat until crispy, about 8 minutes. Remove bacon from the pot and drain on paper towels. Reserve 2 tablespoons bacon in the pot.
- Add butter to the bacon drippings or if not using bacon, add 1/4 cup butter. Melt butter and add onions. Cook onions, stirring often, until soft. The onions will deglaze the bacon drippings from the pan.
- Remove the pot from the heat. Make sure the butter mixture is not bubbling. Gradually stir in the flour until smooth. Return the pot to medium-low heat. Cook the flour mixture for 1 minute. Reduce heat to low or remove the pot from the heat.
- Gradually stir in the milk and broth, whisking constantly. Increase the heat to medium and stir constantly until slightly thickened. See NOTE to avoid lumps. Add salt and pepper. Soup will thicken even more when potatoes and cheese are added.
- Cut each baked potato in half lengthwise and scoop out potato with a spoon. Reserve potato skins for Baked Potato Skins or discard.
- Chop potatoes on a cutting board or slightly mash potatoes in a bowl. I like to keep chunks of potatoes but some like them mashed. Add potatoes to the soup in the pot.
- Bring mixture up to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly just until potatoes are thoroughly heated.
- Crumble bacon. Stir in three-fourths of the bacon, 6 ounces of shredded cheese and sour cream and stir until cheese is melted and soup is thoroughly heated.
- Sprinkle with remaining bacon and cheese. Add other toppings as desired.
Notes
Tip: Potatoes can be baked up to 2 days ahead of time and stored, covered, in the refrigerator.
Baking potatoes such as Russet and Idaho are best but waxy potatoes such as Red or Yukon Gold can be used.
To add flavor or use up ingredients in your fridge, you can replace up to 2 additional cups of the milk with more chicken, so, half milk and half broth. It will not be as creamy but still delicious.
How to avoid lumpy gravy or white sauce:
- To help prevent lumpy gravy or white sauce in any recipe, microwave the milk until lukewarm. Ice cold milk hitting hot roux or sauce doesn't help the situation.
- Another key to lump-free sauce is keep the heat on low until after the flour is stirred in.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cup | Calories: 284kcal