Loaded Baked Potato Soup
This isn’t your ordinary potato soup. This soup is made with mashed up baked potatoes, onion, celery, and stock, puréed and then topped with classic baked potato toppings like crumbled crispy bacon, grated cheddar cheese, sour cream, and chives. It’s truly a loaded baked potato soup. My father, being the potato-craving German he is and therefore completely biased, raved about this soup. Of course he did. How could he not? It’s a baked potato, with all the toppings, in soup form. If you are careful about how you cut and scoop out the potato stuffing, you can even save the skins for the perfect game day snack—baked potato skins.
The Best Potatoes for This Soup
Use Russet potatoes to make this soup since they mash more easily into a purée. (This soup is also a great way to use up leftover baked potatoes.) Red potatoes and Yukon golds are less starchy and don’t break down as easily in a soup.
How to Make a Thicker, Heartier Soup
It’s easier to thin out a thick soup than thicken up a thin soup. So if you’re a fan of thick, hearty soups, start out with only adding four cups of chicken stock. After puréeing and mashing, add as much additional broth as needed to reach the consistency you want.
How to Store and Reheat Potato Soup
The baked potato soup will keep for about five days, and reheats well either in the microwave or over low heat on the stovetop. If you’re heating it in the microwave, reheat in 1-minute intervals, stirring between each, to avoid hot spots in your soup (which tend to burst and get soup all over your microwave). Potato soups generally don’t tend to freeze very well — the texture tends to become watery upon reheating — so plan on eating this up the week you make it.
More Stick-to-Your-Ribs Soups and Stews
Broccoli Cheddar Soup Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup Ham and Potato Soup Black Bean Soup Easy Tuscan Bean Soup
Grated sharp cheddar cheese Sour cream Minced chives Crumbled bacon (from Step 2 in method)
Remove and let cool enough to handle. (To speed up cooling, slice them in half lengthwise.) Cook until the bacon has rendered most of its fat and the lardons are browned and crispy. Remove the cooked bacon and set aside. Remove all but 1 tablespoon of bacon fat from the pan. (Do not discard bacon fat in your sink, it will clog the drain. Pour the fat into a jar and let it cool and solidify. Then either scoop it out and discard it or use it for another purpose.) Bring the soup to a simmer and reduce the heat to low. Use a potato masher to mash the potatoes into the stock.
