Thick Cheesy Baked Potato Soup is like a creamy loaded baked potato in a bowl. It's a delicious comfort food that the whole family is going to will love. You'll love how easy it is!
6cupscubed russet potatoesscrubbed and cut into 2-inch cubes
6cupschicken brothor enough to cover the potatoes
1lbbaconI used thick-cut
2cupscheddar cheesewhite or yellow freshly shredded
4tbspunsalted butter
3cupswhole milk
1/2cupflour
salt and pepper
3green onionsthinly sliced white and green sections
Instructions
Put the potatoes in a large dutch oven or stock pot. Cover with chicken stock and cook until tender. Don't drain.
Bake the bacon on a rack set on a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil for 10 minutes in a 400° F oven. Remove all of the bacon except for 4 slices and put it on a plate lined with a paper towel. Put the 4 slices of bacon back in the oven for 2-4 minutes or until crispy. Once cooked allow them to drain on the plate covered with the paper towel. Cut the bacon that was cooked for 10 minutes in 1-inch pieces. Chop the crispy bacon finer for garnishing the soup.
Using a potato masher to coarsely smash the potatoes leaving large pieces. This helps thicken the soup and creates texture.
Heat a skillet and add the butter. Saute the onion until it begins to soften.
Stir the flour into the milk and whisk until smooth. Stir into the potatoes and chicken stock mix. Add 1-1/2 cups of the cheese, chopped onion and cubed bacon with the rest of the ingredients. Cook until the soup begins to simmer and it's heated through.
If soup is too thick add additional milk or chicken stock to thin it. If it's too thin add a little more flour blended with milk (or water). Let it come up to temperature before judging the thickness. It does thicken as it heats.
Garnish with green onion, remaining cheese and crispy bacon.
Notes
You can dice the raw bacon and cook it with the onion if you don't want to bake it. Baking it reduces the overall fat content of the soup. It is flavorful though so it's up to you.
This recipe was calculated using the exact brands and measurements I used to make this recipe. If you are following a strict diet please note changing anything will cause the nutritional info to change. My calculations are intended as a guide only.