Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Have you ever heard of the five love languages? That thing that will always speak to your heart and inspire love no matter what. The love languages are words of affirmation, acts of service, receiving gifts, quality time and physical touch. Well I'm here to protest that there should be a sixth. At least for this girl. And that love language would, of course, be food. Have you met me?
And if you were really to break it down, my love language would have to be soup. What other food makes you feel cozy/loved/comfortable/warm? Soup just gets me, you guys.
If it wasn't weird, I would even eat soup in the summer. But since there's no time like the chilly fall and winter for soup, I've been making, on average, a pot of soup a week. And just recently, I might have made a new favorite - in Cole's top five favorite Hungry Ali recipes of all time, in fact.
It really is as good as it sounds. A soup that tastes as good, if not better than your classic baked potato, it’s topped off with salty, peppery bacon, sharp cheddar, a dollop of tangy sour cream, this baked potato soup and it is purely soul-satisfying. Calling all baked potato lovers, this one's for you.
While I love rich, decadent foods as much as anyone, I have to say this recipe is deceivingly light. Sure, you're cooking your potatoes in a layer of delicious bacon grease, and you're stirring an entire block of cream cheese into your pot-o-carbs, but all things considered there's no heavy cream that's making it too rich. Instead, the potatoes become super light and fluffy, yet velvety and creamy from boiling in chicken broth and from a whirl in the blender.
Even better? This big pot of deliciousness fed an army AKA Cole and I all week. We were happy campers.
Loaded Baked Potato
Ingredients
3 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
10 strips thick-cut pepper bacon, cut into lardons
1 yellow onion, diced
6 cups chicken broth
1 8 oz package cream cheese
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Sour cream
Green onions, sliced
Directions
In a dutch oven over medium high heat, fry bacon until fat is rendered and pieces are crispy. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a paper towel to drain off grease. Cook onions in bacon grease until translucent, about two minutes. Add potatoes and Cajun seasoning and toss to coat. Pour broth over potatoes until covered. Bring to a boil and let potatoes cook until fork tender, about 30 minutes.
Whisk together milk and flour and add to potatoes and broth. Using immersion blender, pulse until soup is the desired consistency - personally I like a few big chunks in mine. Slowly stir in cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Season to taste with salt, pepper and more Cajun seasoning, if you'd like. Top with shredded sharp cheddar, bacon bits, sour cream and slices of green onion.
