Lunch · American
Loaded Potato Soup
Loaded potato soup is what happens when a baked potato with all the toppings realizes it could be a soup and nobody has to wait for the oven. Yukon golds simmer until they collapse into the broth, cream and cheddar make it rich, and bacon, green onion, and sour cream on top make it a loaded potato in the truest sense.
The texture trick is a controlled mash. Simmer the potatoes until fork tender, then mash about a third of them right in the pot. That releases starch, which thickens the soup naturally, no flour, no cornstarch, while the remaining chunks give every spoonful body. Soup that is all puree is baby food; soup that is all chunks is a spoon race.
Bacon cooked first is doing double duty: it becomes the topping and its fat becomes the base the onions cook in. Everything after that builds on it, which is why this simple soup tastes like it simmered much longer than 40 minutes.
By the TasteBoard team. Timed in a home kitchen, with total time added up and safe temperatures checked.
Photo: @MarkTraceur / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total
- 40 min
- Servings
- 6
- Course
- Lunch
- Calories, about
- 420 per serving
Instructions
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Why you will love it
One pot, 40 minutes, and no blender required.
Thickens with mashed potatoes, not flour, so it is naturally gluten free.
Feeds six generously and reheats for days without thinning out.
The toppings are the fun part and everyone builds their own bowl.
Cheap: potatoes, broth, and dairy, with bacon as the splurge.
Tips
Yukon golds are the right potato here; they break down creamy instead of grainy like russets, though russets work if you peel them well.
Dice the potatoes evenly. Uneven chunks mean half mush, half crunchy, and the soup becomes a compromise.
Keep the heat under a bare simmer once the milk and cream go in. Dairy soup that boils can split, and whisking cannot fully undo it.
If the soup is thicker than you like tomorrow, loosen it with a splash of milk when reheating, not water.
Swaps and variations
Fully loaded baked potato night: what changes: serve in bread bowls or with big croutons, and suddenly it is dinner.
Vegetarian: what changes: skip the bacon, start with 3 tbsp butter, use vegetable broth, and top with smoked paprika and extra cheddar.
Lighter version: what changes: half and half for the cream and turkey bacon, still genuinely good, about 90 calories lighter a bowl.
Potato leek soup: what changes: swap the onion for 2 sliced leeks, white and light green parts, and skip the cheddar topping. Elegant cousin of the same soup.
What to serve
Crusty bread or cheddar bay style biscuits, for the last of the bowl.
A sharp green salad, because this soup is rich and something acidic keeps it honest.
Nothing, if it is snowing and the bowl is big enough.
Storage and reheating
Fridge: 4 days, and it thickens considerably overnight, which is normal starch behavior. Reheat gently on the stove with a splash of milk, stirring, until steaming at 165 F (74 C); the microwave in 90 second bursts also works, stirred halfway. Freezer: possible for 2 months, but dairy soups can separate and get slightly grainy when thawed; if freezing, under season slightly and refresh the toppings after thawing.
Calories shown are an estimate from standard ingredients, not medical advice. Brands and amounts change the number.
Questions cooks actually ask
Can I make it in the slow cooker?
Yes: cook the bacon and onion on the stove first for the fond and fat, then everything through step 3 on low for 6 hours or high for 3.5, mash, and stir in the dairy and cheese at the end. The texture is slightly looser but the flavor holds.
Why is my soup grainy?
The dairy boiled. Keep the pot below a simmer once milk, cream, and cheese are in, and add the cheese off heat or on the lowest setting. Pre shredded cheese also carries anti caking starch that can turn grainy, so grate your own if you can.
Can I make it ahead for a crowd?
Yes, up to 2 days ahead, and it tastes even better. Reheat slowly with extra milk to loosen, and set the toppings out in bowls so everyone loads their own.
How do I make it thicker?
Mash more of the potatoes, or simmer uncovered 5 minutes longer before the dairy goes in. Resist adding flour after the fact, which makes pasty spots; starch from the potatoes is the clean fix.
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