Easy Potato Soup with Bacon and Cheddar
Creamy one-pot potato soup in 40 minutes, half blended for body and topped with crisp bacon, cheddar and scallions. No heavy cream needed.
38% of it needs you at the counter
- Hands-on
- 15 min
- Cooking
- 25 min
- Serves
- 6
- Calories
- 390
- Protein
- 16 g
- Per serving
- $2.10
Why this recipe works
This is the potato soup most people mean when they ask for it: thick, creamy and finished with baked-potato toppings. It uses milk and a little sour cream instead of a carton of heavy cream, so it's rich without being heavy.
- Yukon Golds turn creamy when blended and still hold their shape in the chunks you leave behind.
- Blending only half the soup gives it body without the gluey texture of fully puréed potatoes.
- Cooking the onion and celery in bacon fat seasons the whole pot from the start.
Ingredients
To serve
You will need
- Large Dutch oven or soup pot
- Immersion blender or potato masher
Method
Tap a step number to mark it done.
Crisp the bacon
Cook the bacon in the pot over medium heat until crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Scoop it onto a paper towel and pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat.
Soften the vegetables
Add the onion and celery and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and thyme for 30 seconds.
Simmer the potatoes
Add the potatoes, broth, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then simmer partly covered until the potatoes break apart easily with a spoon, 12 to 15 minutes.
Blend half
Blend about half the soup with an immersion blender, or mash it firmly, leaving plenty of chunks. Stir in the milk and warm through without boiling, then stir in the sour cream.
Serve
Taste for salt. Ladle into bowls and top with the bacon, cheddar and scallions.
Cook's notes
- Don't boil the soup once the milk is in; a hard boil can make it look grainy.
- It thickens as it sits. Loosen leftovers with a splash of broth or milk when reheating.
- For a vegetarian version, skip the bacon, start with 2 tablespoons of butter and use vegetable broth.
Nutrition per serving
390 calories
$2.10 estimated cost per serving
Where the calories come from
| Protein | 16% of calories | 16 g |
|---|---|---|
| Carbs | 49% of calories | 48 g |
| Fat | 35% of calories | 15 g |
| Fiber | 6 g | |
| Sodium | 1200 mg |
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for the listed ingredients and amounts; not lab-tested. Cost estimated from average US retail prices.
Questions people ask
What potatoes are best for potato soup?
Yukon Golds give the creamiest texture and still hold some chunks. Russets work too but break down more, which makes a thicker, more rustic soup.
How do you make potato soup creamy without heavy cream?
Blend part of the soup. The potatoes' own starch thickens it, and a little sour cream stirred in at the end adds richness.
Is this potato soup gluten-free?
There's no flour in it, so yes, as long as your broth and bacon are labeled gluten-free.
