Loaded Cheesy Potato Soup is stuffed with broccoli, bacon, cheddar cheese and all the other delicious fixings you’ll typically find in a loaded baked potato.
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Potato soup recipe
This Loaded Cheesy Potato Soup is creamy, velvety, cheesy and hearty enough to be the star of your meal.
It’s a potato soup recipe inspired by the flavor of loaded baked potatoes. Fluffy potatoes, pats of butter, melty cheddar cheese. Plus some steamed broccoli, crispy bacon, mounds of creamy sour cream and a dash of chives or green onions for extra flavor.
It’s like loaded baked potato soup mixed with broccoli cheddar soup. Velvety, creamy and super comforting!
Ingredients
- Bacon – a few strips of bacon are crisped and used to top the soup and the bacon grease is also used in the soup base. Or make potato soup with ham by substituting chopped ham for the chopped bacon.
- Butter – salted or unsalted.
- Onion – white onion or sweet onion.
- Garlic – cloves, chopped.
- All purpose flour – to create a base to thicken the soup.
- Stock – chicken or vegetable stock. To make without stock you can substitute beer for a sort of beer cheese potato soup. Or use water instead.
- Milk – full fat whole milk is best. The milk fat in the cream helps to emulsify the soup and ensure that the cheese will be perfectly smooth and incorporated without any fear of separation.
- Russet potatoes – peeled and cubed.
- Cream – To make cheesy potato soup without cream you can substitute more milk instead. Make sure to use full fat milk like whole milk, if possible.
- Broccoli – fresh or frozen broccoli.
- Cheddar cheese – shredded.
- Scallions – or chives.
- Sour cream – for topping, optional.
- Nutmeg
- Salt and pepper
Step by step instructions
- Brown chopped bacon in a large stockpot over medium heat. Once browned remove and set aside to cool. Keep about 2 tablespoons rendered bacon grease in the pot and discard the rest or save for another use.
- Add butter and diced onion to reserved bacon grease in the stockpot. Cook over medium low heat for several minutes until onions are soft and translucent.
- Then stir in chopped garlic and flour. Cook for about a minute, being careful not to burn.
- Whisk in stock, whisking constantly while thickening. Then whisk in the whole milk, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
- Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and add peeled, cubed potatoes. Simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.
- Then add broccoli and simmer until broccoli is cooked, about 5 minutes longer.
- Reduce heat to low then stir in cream, nutmeg, salt and black pepper.
- Set aside about ½ cup shredded cheese for serving then slowly add remaining cheese into soup, stirring well after each addition. If soup is too thick, add a splash more cream. Soup will thicken as it cools, but if if it is too thin, stir in more shredded cheddar cheese to thicken.
- Serve topped with bacon, shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream and sliced scallions.
- Enjoy!
How to serve
Serve cheesy potato soup with your choice of classic loaded baked potato toppings. Sour cream, bacon bits, chives or scallions, shredded cheese and steamed broccoli.
Serve with toast, rolls, or crackers for dipping in the soup. Add a crisp fresh salad for contrast.
Sandwiches and classic comfort meals like steak and roasted chicken or pork also go good with cheesy potato soup.
How to store
To store cheesy potato soup cool to room temperature then tightly cover and refrigerate for up to three days.
Or potato soup can be frozen for up to three months. Simply add cooled soup to freezer bags and place flat in a single layer in the freezer.
Reheat from chilled or frozen over low heat on the stovetop, or microwave, until warm.
Serving size
This recipe makes roughly four ¾ cup sized servings of soup.
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ pound bacon about 4 slices
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ large white onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1 cups whole milk
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 large russet potatoes peeled and cubed (about 2 cups cubed)
- ½ pound cheddar cheese shredded (about 2 cups shredded)
- 1 cup broccoli florets
- 2 whole scallions sliced
- Pinch nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon Salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Brown chopped bacon in a large stockpot over medium heat. Once browned remove and set aside to cool. Keep about 2 tablespoons rendered bacon grease in the pot and discard the rest or save for another use.¼ pound bacon
- Add butter and diced onion to reserved bacon grease in the stockpot. Cook over medium low heat for several minutes until onions are soft and translucent.2 tablespoons butter, ½ large white onion
- Then stir in chopped garlic and flour. Cook for about a minute, being careful not to burn.2 cloves garlic, 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Whisk in stock, whisking constantly while thickening. Then whisk in the whole milk, nutmeg, salt and pepper.3 cups chicken stock, 1 cups whole milk, Pinch nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon Salt and black pepper
- Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and add peeled, cubed potatoes. Simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.2 large russet potatoes
- Then add broccoli and simmer until broccoli is cooked, about 5 minutes longer.1 cup broccoli florets
- Reduce heat to low then stir in cream, being careful not to boil.½ cup heavy cream
- Set aside about ½ cup shredded cheese for serving then slowly add remaining cheese into soup, stirring well after each addition.½ pound cheddar cheese
- Serve topped with bacon, shredded cheddar cheese, and sliced scallions.2 whole scallions
Nutrition
Tristin Rieken
I love to make this soup on busy weeknights when I forget to pull something out for dinner. It quickly turns bacon and other staples into a delicious comfort meal.