Oh, a bowl of warm, comforting, thick, rich, CHEESY baked potato soup, you say? Yes please. I’ll have seven bowls.
Especially if they are in cute little pumpkin bowls like pictured above. I mean…if it doesn’t have pumpkin in the recipe, I gotta throw some fall in their somehow. No pumpkin? Pumpkin bowls. Seems legit.
Potato soup has always been one of my favorite meals. It was one of my mom’s go-to’s when I was growing up…my brothers and I were obsessed with it. She loved it because it is crazy simple/relatively quick, and we loved it because it gave us a perfect avenue to shove as much cheese, bacon, and green onions that we could into our bellies.
I mean…the soup is delicious, but it’s really all about dem toppings…feel me?
Cheese, bacon, onions, more cheese, maybe an extra crumble (or handful) of bacon – that’s where it’s AT, man.
This soup takes a regular baked potato soup (with a few delicious tricks thrown in [more on that later]) and adds an ingredient that takes the pot of goodness to a whole ‘nother level: cheese – YAS. Cheese is everything. If you don’t like cheese…GET OUTTA HERE!!! Just kidding, you can stay, internet frand.
But…fo reals…everything is better with cheese. Burgers? Yep. Sandwiches? Of course. Jewelry, so I can munch it off myself as the day passes (90s kids, where you at with my candy necklaces ?)? Sure!
But cheese with baked potato soup? D.e.f.i.n.i.t.e.l.y with a CAPITAL D. And when you are topping your soup with your goodies, you can even add more cheese if you want to be super rebellious. I like to live on the edge. In this case, the “edge” is defined by having a cheese that is dangerously teetering over the edge of being more of a queso than a soup. But it’s all good. You only live once, amIright?
So…those extra delicious tricks I mentioned earlier. I’ve got two for ya:
- Chicken base in the potatoes. My mother-in-law taught this trick to me. She uses it when she makes mashed potatoes, and I have now
borrowedstolen it and claimed it as my own, but not just for mashed potatoes. Any time I boil potatoes for any reason, I add a few tablespoon of chicken base to the water. It adds such amazing, deep, warm flavor to the potatoes, which brings flavor and complexity to your final dish, whatever that may be. - Nutmeg. Adding nutmeg is a secret little twist for any cream sauce, cheese sauce, or creamy soup. Not enough so that you really taste the nutmeg, but just enough so that you get an extra note of complexity and warmth in your final flavor.
Can we talk about the fact that it’s NOVEMBER FOURTH? Like…what happened.
Did October even happen? Is the world playing a trick on me and it’s actually October 10th right now? If so, hahaha….haha…ha…TELL ME NOW. It’s the only logical possibility that I can create in my mind for the fact that we have passed into November already.
Thanksgiving is right around the corner, but have I posted one Thanksgiving recipe? Negative. Hopefully that will change next week. After I post some Pumpkin Spice Granola that I’ve had on the back burner for about a week, you can get ready to say hello to some Thanksgiving goodness.
I do love Thanksgiving, but what excites me more about the holiday is the fact that CHRISTMAS is right after it! I’m quite a large fan of Christmas. It is my favorite time of the whole year by far. But, but, but, but, BUT – I will give Thanksgiving its fair turn. Besides, it is a holiday that is basically centered around cooking, so how could I not absolutely love it??
I am mourning the passing of October with these adorable pumpkin bowls. Goodbye, October…?. Let’s go, Thanksgiving!
- 10 cups (approximately) of yukon gold potatoes (about 3-4 pounds), peeled and diced
- 3 tablespoons (approximately) chicken base paste (sold in the chicken stock section)
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 6 tablespoons flour
- 32 oz box chicken stock
- 4 cups milk (I used whole, but you can use anything)
- 5 cups of fresh grated cheddar cheese
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- Optional toppings:
- Bacon
- Green onions
- More cheese!
- Bring a pot of water to a boil
- Season the water with salt, and add your chicken base
- When boiling, add your diced potatoes and simmer until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife
- Meanwhile, in a large soup pot, melt your butter over medium high heat
- When melted, add your flour
- Whisk to combine and cook for about thirty seconds
- To this, add your chicken stock and milk
- Bring to a simmer and simmer until thickened (it will thicken more after adding the potatoes and cheese) - season to taste with salt and pepper
- When your potatoes are done, drain them using a colander and remove the soup from the heat
- Add the drained potatoes to your soup
- Using a potato masher, mash the potatoes until the soup has thickened further and about half the potatoes are mashed - the rest should be in small chunks (you can mash as little or as much as you want - totally up to your preference)
- To this, add your cheese, nutmeg, and season to taste with salt and pepper
- Top with bacon, green onions, and maybe even a little more cheese!
Nutrition info is for 1.5 cups of soup topped with half a slice of bacon and a few tablespoons of green onions!
If you make this or any of my other recipes, be sure to Instagram it and hashtag #thegarlicdiaries!
In the mood for more potato recipes? Check these out:
Sausage Stuffed Twice Baked Potatoes
Crispy Potato Curry [vegan + gluten free]
Buffalo Chicken Potato Skins with Greek Yogurt Ranch
This looks absolutely yummy! I am looking forward to trying this! Just a question – is there a substitute for milk? Unfortunately I can’t seem to tolerate it, any suggestions would be very much appreciated ?
Hm…you could try using almond milk as a substitute? I’m not sure how that would affect the flavor, but if you try it out, make sure to come back and let us know how it turned out!
This sounds really good. You should taste my moms potato cheese soup. The bacon in it seems like it would be amazing.
I would love to try it! Thanks for the comment!