Loaded Baked Potato Soup
In this loaded baked potato soup, potatoes are baked until tender before being simmered with garlic, milk, cheese, sour cream, bacon, and green onions.
Servings: 6
Calories: 797cal
Ingredients
- 3 ¼ pounds Russet potatoes about 4 medium/large potatoes
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cloves garlic minced or finely pressed
- 6 cups 2% or whole milk
- 8 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese grated and divided
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste
- 1 cup sour cream I used reduced fat
- 10 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
- 8 green onions trimmed and sliced into small segments (yields about 3/4 cup)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F. Pierce potatoes with a fork and bake for about 1 hour directly on oven rack, or until fork tender.
- When potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel them, transfer to a large bowl, and mash the flesh. I mash coarsely so there are big potato chunks but mash as small as desired; set aside.
- To a a large Dutch oven or stockpot, add the butter, flour, and cook over medium heat for about 3 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until flour is thickened. You’re making a roux and it’s very important the mixture is thick or soup will never thicken properly later.
- Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute, or until fragrant; stir constantly so it doesn’t burn.
- Add the milk, 6 ounces cheese, salt, pepper, and stir until the cheese has melted.
- Add the potatoes, sour cream, 3/4 cup bacon, 1/2 cup green onions, and stir to combine.
- Simmer on low for about 5 minutes, or until soup is heated through; don’t allow it to boil.
- Taste and check for seasoning balance, adding more salt or pepper if desired, to taste.
- Ladle into bowls and evenly top with the remaining 2 ounces cheese, 1/4 cup bacon, 1/4 cup green onions, and serve immediately.
Notes
Cheese: Don’t use pre-grated cheese in ziptop bags because that cheese is resistant to melting and won’t incorporate well.
Bacon: I used pre-cooked bacon that cooks in microwave in about 1 minute to save time; yields about 1 cup crumbled bacon.
Storage: Soup will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 1 week. Reheat very gently on the stove or micro so soup doesn’t separate. I haven’t tried freezing it and cannot speak to the results.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 | Calories: 797cal | Carbohydrates: 73g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 43g | Saturated Fat: 23g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 124mg | Sodium: 1076mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 17g
