Baked Potato Soup Recipe -- from scratch!
Published: Thu, 02/02/17
Happy Groundhog Day, Slow Cookerers!!
My 7-year-old informed me that Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this morning, which means we are doomed to have another 6 weeks of winter.
(the good news? I just bought super cute boots...) ;-)
Also?
We have soup. Lots and lots and lots of soup to keep us warm and cozy until Spring finally arrives.
Baked potato soup is complete and utter comfort food.
There are cheater ways to make it with boxed potato flakes or hashbrown potatoes from the freezer section, but I wanted to see if I could make an awesome all-from-scratch soup that was just as good, if not better!
Baked Potato Soup
serves 8-10
5 lbs potatoes, peeled and diced in 1 to 2-inch chunks
1 teeny onion, diced (a bit less than 1 cup)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper
2 quarts chicken broth
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, to add at the end
--crumbled bacon and green onion or chives as garnish (optional)
The Directions.
Use a 6 quart or larger slow cooker. Peel and dice the potatoes, and put them into the stoneware.
Add onion and garlic.
Sprinkle in the seasonings, and pour in the broth.
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 4.
The potatoes should be fork-tender. You can use a potato masher to mash the potatoes in the soup, or a hand-held immersible blender.
I suppose you can also leave the potatoes in chunks, if you really wanted, but I wanted a smooth soup.
After smashing the potatoes, crumble in both packages of cream cheese, and put the lid back on.
Cook on high for about 30 minutes, or until the cream cheese is completely dissolved.
Stir a few times during the 30 minutes.
Garnish with shredded cheese, bacon, green onion, etc.
The Verdict.
If you are vegetarian and would prefer to use Vegetable broth, you may. Chicken broth has a deeper flavor, so if you aren't a vegetarian I'd still recommend using that.
If you are dairy free and don't do cream cheese, then my best suggestion would be to use whatever your favorite dairy-free alternative is -- if you skip the cream cheese it won't be the same.
Enjoy!! Happy Slow Cooking!!
steph
PS: Since we are in a brand new month, it's the perfect time to get Organized, Once and For All. My downloadable calendars are the easiest & most efficient way to get the entire family pitching in with the daily chores!