Cheesy Potato Soup

This savory, creamy, and oh-so-comforting Cheesy Potato Soup is loaded with smoky bacon, three types of potatoes, hearty veggies, and a rich cheesy cream base. It’s seriously the best soup!

Reasons To Love Cheesy Potato Soup

Cheesy Potato Soup Ingredients

• Unsalted butter: Used to create the cream base and to cook bacon in.
• Hardwood smoked bacon: This delivers a smoky flavor and delicious soup topping!
• Yellow onion and Carrot: Finely diced for best integration.
• Gold potatoes: Choose firm, unblemished potatoes.
• Sweet potatoes: The fresher, the sweeter.
• Minced garlic: Fresh or jarred.
• Spices: The spice blend adds loads of flavor to this soup!

Ingredients, Continued

• Chicken broth: High-quality store-bought broth for best flavor. Use vegetable broth for a vegetarian version.
• White flour: Standard all-purpose flour works best.
• Whole milk: Full-fat for creaminess; avoid low-fat versions.
• Sharp Cheddar cheese: Freshly grated Cheddar melts better. Sharp Cheddar adds more flavor.
• Optional garnishes: Fresh thyme, crusty bread, and hash browns take this soup from wow to WOW!

How To Make Cheesy Potato Soup

• Cook bacon: In a pot, cook bacon, then set aside.
• Sauté veggies: In bacon fat, sauté onions, carrots, and potatoes. Add seasonings.
• Simmer: Pour in stock, boil, then simmer until potatoes are tender.
• Milk mixture: In another pot, cook butter and flour, then whisk in milk.
• Combine: Add milk mixture into soup, mash some potatoes, add cheese, stir until melted.
• Serve: Top with bacon, garnish as desired, and serve.

Recipe Tips

What To Serve With Cheesy Potato Soup

• Crusty Bread or Dinner Rolls: Ideal for dipping.
• Garden Salad: Or a tasty Caesar Salad.
• Roasted Veggies: Brussels sprouts or asparagus.
• Grilled Cheese Sandwiches: Add ham for more protein.
• Apple Salad: Sweet and tangy.

More Comforting Soup Recipes:

• Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
• Taco Soup
• Tuscan Sausage and Potato Soup
• Broccoli Cheddar Soup
• Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

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5 from 1 vote

Cheesy Potato Soup

By Chelsea Lords

Cheesy, creamy, and oh-so-comforting Cheesy Potato Soup is loaded with smoky bacon, three types of potatoes, hearty veggies, and a rich cheesy cream base. It's seriously the best soup!

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour

Servings: 6 -8 servings

Equipment

• Heavy-bottomed cast iron pot or Dutch oven

Ingredients  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• ▢ 8 slices (8 oz) bacon, finely diced
• ▢ 1½ cups each: finely diced yellow onion & finely diced carrot
• ▢ 2½ cups diced (½-inch) unpeeled gold potatoes (Note 1)
• ▢ 2½ cups diced (½2-inch) peeled sweet potatoes
• ▢ 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
• ▢ ¾ teaspoon ground mustard
• ▢ 1½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper,
• ▢ Fine sea salt & pepper
• ▢ 32 oz chicken broth (4 cups)
• ▢ ⅓ cup white flour
• ▢ 3 cups whole milk (Note 2)
• ▢ 2 gently packed cups grated sharp (or extra-sharp) Cheddar cheese (Note 3)
• ▢ Optional: sweet potato hash browns/puffs, crusty buttered bread for dipping (or bread bowls), fresh thyme (Note 4)

Instructions 

• SAUTE VEGGIES: In a large pot over medium heat, add 1 tbsp butter. Add in bacon and cook until browned and fat is rendered. Remove bacon with slotted spoon onto paper towel lined plate. Drain all fat off except for 2 tablespoons. (Don't wipe out pot.) Add diced carrot & onion. Season (I add ½ tsp salt & ¼ tsp pepper). Sauté for 7-9 minutes until tender. Don't rush this.

  Add gold potatoes, sweet potatoes, garlic, and seasonings. Sauté for an additional 2 minutes.
• SIMMER: Pour in 4 cups of chicken broth and increase the heat to bring it to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until potatoes are fork-tender. Stir occasionally.
• MILK MIXTURE: In a separate pot, melt the remaining 4 tbsp butter over medium heat. Add flour and cook for 1 minute, whisking constantly. Gradually add milk while whisking. Continue to whisk until the mixture thickens. (See Note 5)
• ADD CHEESE: Reduce heat to low. Stir the milk mixture into the soup. Optional: Using a potato masher, mash down some of the potatoes, leaving some still in chunks. Turn off the heat and gradually (a handful at a time) add the grated cheese, stirring gently after each addition until melted. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
• SERVE: Ladle soup into bowls, topping each with reserved bacon and optional sweet potato hash browns (See Note 4). Garnish with fresh thyme if desired. Serve with crusty bread or rolls for dipping, or in bread bowls.

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Potatoes: Golden potatoes have thin skins, so no need to peel – a real time-saver! If using a different variety, peel them first.

Note 2: Milk: Lower-fat milks don't offer the same thickness, creaminess, or flavor. It's best to stick with whole milk if possible.

Note 3: Cheese: Sharp Cheddar provides more flavor than mild or medium, which is crucial here. Use a block of cheese and grate it freshly for a smoother melt.

Note 4: Sweet potatoes: Sweet potato hash browns are the BEST topping for this soup--they're super fun! I pop them in the air fryer just before the soup is ready.

Note 5: Thickness: Cook the mixture until it's thick enough to leave a clear trail on a wooden spoon. (If you draw a line with your finger, it should stay put, not run together).

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 468kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 62mg | Sodium: 883mg | Potassium: 1090mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 18517IU | Vitamin C: 25mg | Calcium: 217mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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