Description
This Ultimate Potato Soup Recipe is a comforting, creamy soup made with tender gold potatoes, smoky bacon, and a flavorful blend of spices. The soup features a rich base of butter, onions, garlic, chicken broth, milk, and cream, partially pureed to achieve a smooth yet chunky texture. Topped with shredded cheddar cheese, chives, sour cream, and crispy bacon, this hearty soup is perfect for a cozy meal any time of the year.
Ingredients
Scale
Soup Base
- 6 strips uncooked bacon, cut into small pieces
- 3 tablespoons butter (unsalted or salted)
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped (about 1.5 cups / 200g)
- 3 large garlic cloves, minced
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour (42g)
- 2 ½ lbs gold potatoes, peeled and diced into pieces no larger than 1” (about 6 large potatoes / 1.15kg)
- 4 cups chicken broth (945ml)
- 2 cups milk (475ml)
- ⅔ cup heavy cream (155ml)
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt*
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
- ¼ – ½ teaspoon ancho chili powder**
Finishing Touches
- ⅔ cup sour cream (160g)
- Shredded cheddar cheese (optional, for topping)
- Chives (optional, for topping)
- Additional sour cream (optional, for topping)
- Additional bacon (optional, cooked and crumbled for topping)
Instructions
- Cook the Bacon: Place bacon pieces in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat and cook until crisp and browned. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving the bacon fat in the pot.
- Sauté Onions and Garlic: Add butter and chopped onion to the pot with the bacon fat and cook over medium heat until the 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 onion and garlic mixture, stirring constantly to combine and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until the mixture is smooth and slightly thickened. Use a whisk if needed to remove lumps.
- Add Potatoes and Liquids: Stir in diced potatoes, chicken broth, milk, heavy cream, salt, pepper, and ancho chili powder. Mix well to combine all ingredients.
- Cook Potatoes: Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat and cook until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, about 10 minutes.
- Puree Half the Soup: Reduce heat to a simmer and carefully ladle about half of the soup (approximately 5 cups) into a blender. Puree until smooth, then return the pureed soup to the pot. Alternatively, use an immersion blender to puree half the soup directly in the pot.
- Add Sour Cream and Bacon: Stir in the ⅔ cup sour cream and the reserved cooked bacon pieces. Blend well and allow the soup to continue simmering for 15 minutes to combine flavors.
- Serve and Garnish: Ladle the soup into bowls and top with additional sour cream, crispy bacon, shredded cheddar cheese, and chopped chives as desired. Enjoy your comforting potato soup!
Notes
- *Start with 1 ½ teaspoons of salt but adjust according to the saltiness of your broth and personal preference.
- **If you are unfamiliar with ancho chili powder, begin with ¼ teaspoon, taste, and increase to ½ teaspoon if desired for a mild smoky heat.
- ***To make the soup completely creamy, puree the entire soup in batches instead of just half. However, pureeing half maintains a pleasant chunky texture.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup (approximate)
- Calories: 310
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 650mg
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 9g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7g
- Trans Fat: 0.3g
- Carbohydrates: 28g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 7g
- Cholesterol: 55mg
