Description
This Ultimate Potato Soup Recipe is a creamy, comforting bowl of goodness made with crispy bacon, tender potatoes, and a rich blend of milk and cream. Perfect for chilly days, it combines smooth pureed soup with chunks of potato, topped with cheddar cheese, sour cream, and chives for an extra burst of flavor.
Ingredients
Scale
Soup Base
- 6 strips bacon, cut into small pieces
- 3 tablespoons butter (unsalted or salted)
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped (about 1.5 cup/200g)
- 3 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour (42g)
- 2 1/2 lbs gold potatoes, peeled and diced into pieces no larger than 1 inch (about 6 large potatoes/1.15kg)
- 4 cups chicken broth (945ml)
- 2 cups milk (475ml)
- 2/3 cup heavy cream (155ml)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon ancho chili powder
- 2/3 cup sour cream (160g)
Toppings (Optional)
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Chives
- Additional sour cream
- Additional cooked bacon pieces
Instructions
- Cook the bacon: Place bacon pieces in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Cook until bacon is crisp and browned. Remove bacon pieces and set aside, leaving the fat in the pot.
- Sauté onions and garlic: Add butter and chopped onion to the pot. Cook over medium heat until onions are tender, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add flour: Sprinkle the flour over the ingredients in the pot. Stir continuously until smooth, using a whisk if needed to prevent lumps.
- Add potatoes and liquids: Add diced potatoes to the pot along with chicken broth, milk, heavy cream, salt, pepper, and ancho chili powder. Stir well to combine all ingredients.
- Cook until potatoes soften: Bring the mixture to a boil, then cook until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, about 10 minutes.
- Puree half the soup: Reduce heat to a simmer. Carefully remove approximately half of the soup (about 5 cups) to a blender and puree until smooth, or use an immersion blender directly in the pot to puree half of the soup while leaving the rest chunky.
- Combine and stir in sour cream: Return the pureed soup to the pot. Add sour cream and reserved cooked bacon pieces, stirring well to combine.
- Simmer: Let the soup simmer gently for 15 minutes to develop flavors and thicken slightly.
- Serve and garnish: Ladle soup into bowls and top with additional sour cream, bacon, shredded cheddar cheese, and chives as desired. Enjoy warm.
Notes
- Start with a smaller amount of salt and adjust to taste since saltiness depends on the broth brand used.
- Begin with 1/4 teaspoon ancho chili powder, then add more up to 1/2 teaspoon depending on your preferred flavor and heat level.
- For a completely smooth soup, puree all of it in batches; however, pureeing half retains some texture and chunks for a heartier experience.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 650 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 25 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 8 g
- Cholesterol: 55 mg
