Easy Cheesy Potato Bacon Soup
User Reviews
4.9
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Prep Time
15 mins
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Cook Time
40 mins
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Total Time
55 mins
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Servings
5 to 6 servings
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Calories
617 kcal
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
American
Easy Cheesy Potato Bacon Soup
Description
This soup begins with cooking bacon pieces until slightly crispy, then removing most bacon fat except about one tablespoon for sautéing diced onion and celery. The vegetables soften and develop flavor before adding diced peeled potatoes and chicken broth. The mixture simmers until potatoes are easily mashed. Some potatoes are roughly mashed in the pot to thicken the soup's base and add body.
A separate roux is made by melting butter and cooking flour until lightly golden. Milk is gradually whisked in to make a smooth sauce, which is combined into the soup pot and heated to meld with the broth and vegetables. Cheddar cheese is stirred in until melted, giving sharpness and richness.
Served hot, the soup offers a balance of creamy, cheesy broth, tender potato chunks, and smoky bacon pieces. Sour cream and sliced green onion toppings can enhance flavor and add texture contrast.
Approximate nutrition is calculated for six servings, making it a suitable recipe for family meals. Leftovers can be reheated gently to maintain soup consistency.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces Bacon sliced into 3/4-inch pieces, uncooked
- ½ onion diced small, medium
- 2 celery diced small, ribs
- 2 russet potatoes peeled and diced medium (about 4 cups, large
- 4 cups chicken broth 2 (15 oz) cans
- 5 tablespoons butter salted or unsalted is fine, 71 g
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon (44g
- 2 cups milk any percentage
- 6 ounces cheddar cheese plus more as desired for topping, about 1 ½ cups, shredded
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- salt
- sour cream optional for topping
- green onion optional for topping, sliced
Instructions
- Add bacon pieces to a large pot. Turn heat to medium and cook until bacon is cooked through but only slightly crispy. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a paper-towel lined plate and set aside.
- Spoon off and discard all but about 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat. Add onions and celery to the pot and cook over medium heat, stirring often and scraping any browned cooked-on bits from the bottom of the pan, for about 5 minutes, until the onions have just begun to turn translucent around the edges.
- Add potatoes and chicken broth to the pot. Bring to a simmer and then cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until potatoes can be easily smashed against the side of the pot with a fork.
- Use a potato masher or spatula to roughly smash about half of the potatoes in the pot.
- In a medium pot, over medium heat, melt butter and then add flour. Cook, whisking continuously, until flour begins to turn lightly golden, about 1 minute.
- Slowly drizzle in milk, whisking constantly as you go to whisk out any lumps. Cook, whisking continuously, until mixture is thickened and bubbly around the edges, about 5 minutes.
- Remove pot from heat and slowly whisk in cheese, a handful at a time. Once all your cheese is melted, stir the cheese sauce into the soup. Add pepper. Taste the soup and add salt if needed.
- Add about ¾ of the bacon to the soup (reserve ¼ for topping) and stir everything together.
- Ladle into bowls, top with sour cream, reserved bacon, sliced green onions, and more cheese if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- Cook bacon until just slightly crispy to retain chewiness without being brittle.
- Remove most bacon fat, keeping about one tablespoon to avoid greasy soup.
- Roughly smashing half the potatoes helps thicken the soup naturally.
- Add cheddar cheese gradually to ensure it melts smoothly into the soup base.
- Optional toppings like sour cream and green onion brighten the flavor before serving.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 5to 6 servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 617 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 617kcal | 31% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.9
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