Description
Loaded Baked Potato Soup is a comforting, creamy soup packed with tender russet potatoes, crispy bacon, sharp cheddar cheese, and green onions. The recipe includes a delicious optional topping of fried potato skins for extra texture and flavor, making it a perfect hearty meal for chilly days.
Ingredients
Scale
Soup Ingredients
- 3 1/4 lbs. russet potatoes (about 5 large, evenly sized)
- 9 oz bacon, chopped
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 large bunch green onions, sliced (light and green portions separated)
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic (about 3 cloves)
- 3 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 3 cups milk (2% or whole)
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 to 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (white or yellow), plus more for serving
- 1/3 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
Optional Fried Potato Skins
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- Reserved baked potato skins from about 4 potatoes
Instructions
- Prepare Potatoes: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Thoroughly scrub and rinse the potatoes under cool running water. Pierce each potato several times with a fork to allow steam to escape during baking.
- Bake Potatoes: Place the potatoes directly on the oven rack and bake until tender when pierced with a knife, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool until easy to handle.
- Cook Bacon: In a large pot over medium heat, cook chopped bacon until just crisp. Remove the bacon pieces with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel-lined plate, leaving the rendered fat in the pot.
- Sauté Aromatics: Reduce heat to low and add the light portion of the green onions to the pot. Sauté for 1 minute. Stir in the flour and cook for 30 seconds, then add minced garlic and continue stirring for another 30 seconds to develop flavor.
- Add Liquids and Potatoes: Slowly pour in the chicken broth while stirring, then add the milk. Scoop the potato flesh from the cooled baked potatoes, leaving the skins intact and reserved for later. Transfer the potato flesh into the soup.
- Season and Simmer Soup: Season the soup with plenty of salt and black pepper to taste. Bring it to a gentle simmer over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Lower the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Mash Potatoes and Add Cheese: Remove the pot from heat and use a potato masher to mash the potatoes into smaller chunks, creating a creamy texture. Stir in the sour cream, cheddar cheese, and parmesan cheese. For extra cheesiness, add up to 1 cup more cheddar if desired.
- Prepare Potato Skins (Optional): While the soup simmers, dice about 7 to 8 halves of the reserved potato skins into small pieces. Heat olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Season the skins with salt and pepper and fry, tossing occasionally, until golden brown and crisp, approximately 7 to 10 minutes.
- Serve: Ladle the soup into bowls and top with additional cheddar cheese, cooked crispy bacon, fried potato skins, and the green portions of the sliced green onions. Serve hot for a comforting meal.
Notes
- Use thicker green onions with lots of the white/light portion for more flavor, or substitute with 1 cup finely chopped yellow onion sautéed for 6 minutes before adding garlic and flour.
- Reserve potato skins when scooping out the flesh for crispy topping—a great use of the whole potato.
- Adjust salt and pepper according to taste, especially because bacon and cheese add saltiness.
- Milk choice can be 2% or whole for creamier soup; avoid skim for best texture.
- If you prefer a smoother soup, use an immersion blender after simmering instead of mashing manually.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 350 kcal
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 15 g
- Cholesterol: 50 mg
