Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Loaded Baked Potato Soup (Crock Pot)


Now that we've moved and Caroline has been in school for a few weeks, we've developed a little routine.  She doesn't have school on Monday, so we usually run some errands in the morning, have lunch while we're out, then after Smith takes a nap, we go do something fun - library, playground, go shopping, etc.   So with busy days, I don't really have the energy to make a big elaborate dinner that night.  Enter the crockpot.  I've been making crockpot meals the past few weeks, and it's been perfect.  We enjoy a super easy and low-maintenance meal to start off the week, I have lunches for myself all week long, and then there's usually enough leftover for another dinner later in the week.  Win, win, win.

Baked potato soup has long been a favorite of mine, so I was excited to try this version.  It's "loaded."  Meaning there's bacon, cheese, scallions, and sour cream.  Hard to go wrong with that, isn't it?  It does take a few minutes to prep for the slow cooker - peel and chop the potatoes, cook the bacon and onions... but I did the prep work while the kids were occupied eating snacks, and it was no big deal.

The soup cooks for a few hours, then some of the potatoes are removed, mashed with a little bit of cream, and returned to the crockpot to thicken up the rest of the soup.  Joey, Caroline, and I all really loved this soup, and even Smith was a fan.  As soups typically do, this one gets better as the days go by.  By the end of the week I dare say it tasted even better than the first night!

Busy days and cooler weather call for crockpots and soup, and this one is most definitely a winner!



Slow Cooker Loaded Baked Potato Soup
adapted from Slow Cooker Revolution

  • 8 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped
  • 1 large onion, minced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 1/2 tsp minced fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp dried)
  • 2 Tbs all-purpose flour
  • 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 3 lbs Russet potatoes (about 6  medium), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (about 8 oz), plus more for serving
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup sour cream (light is fine)
  • salt and pepper
  • sliced scallions, minced
Cook the bacon in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat until crispy, 5 to 7 minutes.  Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and refrigerate until serving.  Pour off all but about 2 tablespoons of the fat.

Add the onion and cook over medium-high heat until softened and lightly browned, about 8 minutes.  Add the garlic and thyme, and season with salt and pepper.  Cook until fragrant, an additional minute or so.  Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minutes, stirring constantly.  Slowly whisk in 1 cup of the chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits.  Cook until the mixture is starting to thicken, then transfer to the slow cooker.

Stir in the remaining 3 cups of  broth, potatoes, 3/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper into the slow cooker.  Cover and cook until the potatoes are tender, 4 to 6 hours on low (I think it could even go a bit longer than this and be fine).  

Transfer 3 cups of cooked potatoes to a medium bowl with the cream and mash until smooth using a potato masher.  Return the potatoes to the slow cooker, along with the shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream.  Stir to combine and let the soup sit until heated all the way through, about 10 minutes.

When ready to serve, microwave the bacon on the plate until hot and crispy, about 30 seconds.  Season the soup with salt and pepper.  Ladle into bowls and top with bacon, shredded cheese, and scallions.


24 comments:

Annie @ Annie's City Kitchen said...

This looks absolutely delicious! I'm trying to save calories where I can so I may try to replace the cream with evaporated milk. It's worked in a few other recipes I've tried. Although this soup may be worth the calories.....

Josie said...

Annie, I'm with you on saving calories.. however it only calls for 1/2 cup for the whole pot, which makes 6 to 8 servings...so it's really not much per serving. And with 2 cups of cheese already in the soup, it's not that big of a calorie saver IMO. I'm not sure that evaporated milk would work unless you reduced it down first before adding it to the soup. Let me know if you try though!

Winnie said...

Had to pop over today and tell you that I wrote over the weekend about the turkey tequila chili and how we loved it. Well, I gave some to my 87 year old father in law and he went nuts for it, and a cup to my co-worker and he told me it was the best he ever had. The lightness using the turkey and the sweet of the honey made it mild enough for everyone. The pot is now gone. Next time I am keeping it and freezing it. All that to write that I will try this over the weekend too..

Josie said...

Winnie, I'm so glad you liked the chili! I agree it is just different enough, but not too "out there." Hope you enjoy this soup as well!

Laura said...

This sounds great! Been looking for more recipes to try in the Crockpot - need to get that cookbook (ATK 4 Life, yo). Will definitely be trying this one!

Christina @ Still Lucky said...

I've tried many baked potato soups and haven't found "the one." I can't wait to try this one and love that it uses the crock pot!

Angela @ AnotherBitePlease said...

I feel the same way with school and slow cooker meals...this one looks soo good. thanks for sharing!

Rachel said...

Oh yum! This sounds so good and I need to break out my crock pot more often, too!

Ashley @ Wishes & Dishes said...

LOVE loaded baked potato soup...perfect for fall!

Anonymous said...

Can't wait to try this sounds yummy

Anonymous said...

Making this today. Thanks for the recipe, sounds delicious!

Anonymous said...

So creamy and good! I omitted the sour cream because I didn't have any on-hand and added about a 1/4 stick of butter at the end. I also added some diced celery with the onion cause I needed to use it up. Very very good, family very pleased! (Teenaged son who "wasn't hungry" ate 2 bowls) Thank you so much :)

Anonymous said...

Can't wait to try this,,,,Bert

Krissy@DaintyChef said...

Just made this, house smells amazing! I can't wait for my husband to get home to dive in!!

Megan said...

I made this soup this morning. I wanted to try something new from my normal crockpot potato soup. I will never go back to my old recipe. This is Devine! I am beyond pleased. Thank you so much!

Krystal R said...

This is one of the best soups that I have made in a long time, my pregnant belly thanks you!!!

Unknown said...

Josie, this soup was fantastic! I'm so glad I took the time to use this recipe even though it had a few extra steps than others. It was well worth the extra time! I do have one question. When you reheat the soup, do you add milk? Mine was quite thick the second day and I ended up adding some half and half.

Ana said...

Great soup- my husband loved it. I will have to double the bacon though - I think I ate half while prepping! Ha:)

Kelly Clark said...

Hi! I found this recipe via Pinterest and can't wait to try it. I'm planning to make extra to take to a friend that just had a baby. About how many servings/bowls would you say it makes? Thanks!

Josie said...

Hi Kelly,
According to the cookbook, it makes 6 to 8 servings. Obviously that will vary based on your serving size though. Since it is pretty rich, you could probably stretch that to 8 to 10 if you served it with a salad and bread or a sandwich. Hope that helps!

Kelly Clark said...

Thanks so much for checking that and replying! I really appreciate it!

Josie said...

Hello! I would like to try this recipe for my fiance and myself but we try not to consume dairy when possible! Is there anything I could use instead of the heavy cream and sour cream?

Thanks. :)

Josie said...

Hi Jamee, I'm not at all familiar with dairy substitutes, so I can't really offer much guidance there. Is there such a thing as vegan sour cream? If so, maybe try that. I think you could honestly just leave both out, and while it wouldn't be as creamy and rich, it will still taste great. I've also heard of people using silken tofu that's been pureed as a dairy substitute or creamy sauce, but I've never tried it myself. Let me know how it goes!

Josie said...

Thank you for this great recipe! I left out the bacon and added broccoli along with the cheese, and used yogurt instead of sour cream. It tasted fantastic!

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