Description
Creamy, hearty loaded baked potato soup recipe with crispy bacon, sharp cheddar cheese, and fresh chives. Restaurant-quality comfort food made at home with simple ingredients.
Ingredients
For the Soup:
- 6 big russet potatoes, peeled and chopped up (I buy the 5-lb bag at Costco)
- 8 strips thick bacon, cut into pieces (I use whatever’s on sale)
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced (or that jar stuff, no judgment)
- 1/4 cup flour
- 4 cups chicken broth (the box kind is fine)
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
For the Toppings:
- 2 cups sharp cheddar, grated yourself
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 4 green onions, chopped
- More bacon for on top
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
In your big pot over medium heat, cook the bacon pieces until they’re crispy and gorgeous, maybe 6-8 minutes. Scoop them out with a slotted spoon but DO NOT throw away that bacon fat – that’s pure flavor sitting there!
Pro Tip: I learned this the hard way when I was 25 and dumped the bacon fat down the sink. My husband still brings it up during arguments.
Toss your diced onion into that beautiful bacon fat and let it cook until it’s soft and see-through, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Your kitchen should smell incredible right now – if the neighbors start showing up, you know you’re doing it right!
Sprinkle that flour right over the onion mix and stir it around for 2 full minutes. This step makes your soup thick and creamy instead of watery and sad.
Pro Tip: Don’t skip this even if you’re in a hurry. Raw flour tastes awful and nobody wants that in their comfort food. I’ve been there, learned that lesson.
Slowly pour in the chicken broth while whisking like your life depends on it – this prevents lumps which are the enemy of good soup. Add those diced potatoes and bring everything to a boil, then turn it down and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are fork-tender.
Here’s where it gets fun – grab a potato masher and gently mash about half the potatoes right there in the pot. You want some chunks because texture is everything in this soup. Slowly stir in the milk and cream, then let it simmer for 5 more minutes.
Turn off the heat completely and slowly stir in that grated cheese until it melts smooth. Season with salt and pepper, but taste first because bacon and cheese are already pretty salty.
Pro Tip: If you try to add cheese while it’s still bubbling hot, you’ll get weird grainy chunks. Turn off the heat first, trust me on this one.
Stir in half the bacon and half the green onions, then ladle this beautiful soup into bowls. Top with the rest of the bacon, more green onions, a big spoonful of sour cream, and extra cheese if you’re feeling fancy.
Notes
Don’t use cold milk straight from the fridge – it makes everything seize up and get weird. Let it sit on the counter while you cook the bacon. If you accidentally oversalt it (been there), throw in a peeled potato chunk and let it cook for 10 minutes. It sucks up the extra salt like magic.
Keep some extra chicken broth around because this soup loves to get thick on you. My kids like theirs thin, my husband likes it thick enough to eat with a fork. Everyone’s different.
I learned to taste everything before adding salt because between the bacon and cheese, it might not need any. My neighbor Linda adds hot sauce to hers, which sounds weird but it’s actually pretty good. Sometimes I throw in leftover corn from dinner the night before.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 425
- Sugar: 8g
- Sodium: 890mg
- Fat: 28g
- Saturated Fat: 16g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 32g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 18g
- Cholesterol: 85mg