Creamy Loaded Baked Potato soup that is ready in 30 minutes! Simple, delicious, and warms your soul.
Yields: 12 Servings
Ingredients:
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6 slices thin bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
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4 tbsp unsalted butter
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1 whole medium onion, diced
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2 garlic cloves, minced
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6 whole small russet potatoes, peeled and diced
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8 c. low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
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3 tbsp. all-purpose flour
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1 c. milk
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1/2 c. heavy cream
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1/2 tsp. salt, more to taste
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1/2 tsp garlic salt, plus more to taste
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1/2 tsp Black pepper, to taste
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1/2 tsp. Cajun spice mix
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1 tsp. minced fresh parsley
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1 c. grated cheese of your choice
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1 cup sour cream
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Fresh chives, for garnish
Directions
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Add bacon pieces to a soup pot over medium heat and cook bacon until crisp and fat is rendered. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain and cool. Reserve up to 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat from the pan, discarding the rest. Do not clean the pot!
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Return the hot to medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the reserved bacon fat, garlic, and onion and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the onion is tender.
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Add the diced potatoes. Cook for 5 minutes, seasoning with salt, pepper, and Cajun spice.
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Pour in the broth and bring it to a gentle boil. Cook for 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are starting to get tender.
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Whisk together the flour and the milk, then pour into the soup and allow the soup to cook for another 5 minutes.
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Remove half to 2/3 of the soup and blend in batches in a blender/food process until completely smooth. (***USE CAUTION WHEN BLENDING HOT SOUP; IF POSSIBLE, ALLOW THE SOUP TO COOL BEFORE BLENDING***) Pour it back into the soup pot and stir to combine. Let it heat back up as you taste for seasonings, adding more of what it needs.
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Stir in cream, then stir in parsley, reserving a little for garnish. If you’d like to use cheeses and bacon as a garnish, reserve 1/4 cup of each. Stir in the remaining cheeses, remaining bacon, and sour cream.
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Serve hot, topped with your favorite garnishes, like cheese, bacon and chives.
