YUM! Super Easy Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Phoenix days are still warm and sunny this time of year but the evening chill makes me crave a bowl of hot, steaming soup. I’m a soup fiend. So is Jax. Almost every time we eat out I order a cup of soup for her as her meal. It doesn’t matter the kind – she loves it all – noodle soups, veggie soups, creamy soups, cheesy soups – she’ll slurp it with gusto!

But her favorite of all is her mommy’s baked potato soup loaded with all the fixin’s. It’s so yummy and easy to boot.

Check it out!

The soup-er stars of this soup are: chicken or veggie broth (I prefer chicken), bacon, potatoes, onion, chives, sour cream, cheddar cheese.

Wash, peel and cut those taters in chunks. They don’t have to be pretty because they’re getting pureed anyway, but they should be about the same size so they cook evenly.

Add the tater chunks to a pot of the chicken broth, along with the onion and bay leaf. Boil on medium heat for about 25 minutes or until the potatoes are super soft.

While those taters are a-boilin’, cut the bacon up into small pieces and fry it up crisp!

Place the cooked bacon on a paper towel lined plate to soak up the excess grease.

Once the potatoes are soft, you’re ready to puree them in to oblivion. I use an immersion blender for this but if you don’t have one a food processor will do. Or simply mash them up in the broth with a potato masher – if you go that route you will have a nice chunky texture. Be very careful not to get splashed because it’s boiling hot and will cause injury. Ouch! My husband can attest to this – he bears a small burn scar on his arm from a potato soup splash. I told him to be careful with that immersion blender. Did he listen? NOPE! (Tangent over.)

 Add the sour cream and whisk briskly to blend.

Add cheese, small bits at a time. Whisk between additions to incorporate. If you add the cheese all at once it will clump into a melty, cheese ball and you don’t want that.

Mix in the bacon. Save a little to garnish when ready to serve. Save a little of the cheese too.

Snip, snip, snip the chives directly into the soup and stir it all together. You can also just chop the chives with a knife but kitchen shears make the job so easy!

Looks fantastic, right? Good enough to eat. You will love it. We certainly do. Especially Miss Jax. Check out the photos after the recipe to see how much she liked loved this super easy, super awesome soup!

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 32 Oz Box of Chicken or Vegetable Broth
• 1 Lb. of Potatoes (about 6 medium red potatoes or 3 large baking potatoes), peeled and cubed.
• 1 Package of Bacon
• 1 Cup of Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• 3/4 Cup of Sour Cream
• 3 Tbs. Fresh Chives, snipped or finely diced
• 1/4 Yellow Onion, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 Bay Leaf
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions: 

1. Wash, peel, and cube the potatoes.
2. Pour chicken broth in a large sauce pan.
3. Add the potatoes, onion and bay leaf to the broth and boil over medium heat until potatoes are soft (about 25 minutes).
4. While the potatoes are cooking dice the bacon in small pieces and brown until crisp. Remove crisped bacon from pan and place on paper towel lined plate to absorb excess grease.
5. Puree the cooked potatoes in the broth using an immersion blender.
6. Add the sour cream to the potato puree and whisk briskly to blend well.
7. Add the cheese a little at a time and whisk between each addition, reserve a little for garnish.
8. Add the crisped bacon and stir to incorporate, reserve a little for garnish.
9. Using kitchen shears, snip the chives directly into the soup.
10. Garnish with cheese, bacon and a dollop of sour cream!

Soup this good should be worn…on the face and the clothes.

She insisted on feeding herself. We’re still mastering the spoon.

Potato soup goatees look fabulous on baby girls, no? So sassy.

Told ya, she liked it. Every last drop of it.

Now go make this soup. Now! You’ll thank me for it.