Bacon Cheddar Potato Soup
Cheesy bacon cheddar soup is made with only a few flavorful ingredients, is thick, creamy, and ready in under an hour! Top with bacon, chives, and cheese for extra richness!
Ingredients
- ½ pound bacon cooked and crumbled (reserve 1 tablespoon bacon fat, if desired)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ yellow onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic finely minced
- 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes peeled and diced into ½” pieces
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups whole milk
- 8 ounces grated cheddar cheese medium or sharp cheddar, plus more for garnish
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup chives finely chopped
Instructions
- In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. You can add 1 tablespoon of reserved bacon grease, if desired, to add flavor.
- Add onions and garlic to the melted butter and saute for 2-3 minutes, until onions soften.
- Add the diced potatoes to the pot, and cook, stirring frequently, over medium low heat. Cook for about 10 minutes, until potatoes are softened.
- Sprinkle flour, pepper, and salt over the vegetables and cook 2-minutes more, stirring to cook the flour and distribute it evenly throughout the pot.
- Slowly add the chicken broth and the milk to the pot, adding just a little at a time and stirring to combine the liquid with the flour, which will thicken the soup.
- Simmer over medium low for 5-10 minutes more, until the potatoes are cooked through and are soft.
- Use a potato masher to break apart the potato chunks - you can mash them quite a bit or just a little, depending on how chunky you want your soup.
- Stir in the heavy cream and the cheddar cheese, cooking over low until the cheese is melted and the soup is thick.
- Stir in ½ of the bacon pieces, reserving the rest for topping the soup.
- Serve soup with reserved bacon, extra cheese, and chives.
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Notes
Storage: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Do not freeze soup - the dairy products in the soup will not thaw well.
Notes:
Bacon grease in the soup is optional, but it does add another dimension of flavor and is recommended.
Keep the vegetables cooking over medium-low heat. If the heat is too high, or if you do not stir, you’ll get some sticking to the bottom of the pot. If there is some browning on the bottom of the pot, don’t worry - it will incorporate into the soup once the liquids are added (the broth will deglaze the pan).
Browned bits will add flavor to the soup, but the soup’s appearance will not be as light and creamy. Burned bits on the bottom of the pan will make the soup bitter. If you have burned bits in your pan, I recommend transferring the cooked vegetables to another container, washing the pot, and then proceeding to add the chicken broth, milk, etc.
Substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth and omit the bacon for a vegetarian soup.
You can use reduced fat milk and/or omit the heavy cream for a lighter soup.
Nutrition
Calories: 537kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 104mg | Sodium: 921mg | Potassium: 715mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1119IU | Vitamin C: 25mg | Calcium: 321mg | Iron: 1mg
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