Creamy Loaded Potato Soup

This dreamy creamy loaded potato soup has bacon and roasted Yukon gold potatoes along with roasted garlic and dried herbs - giving you the very easiest loaded baked potato inspired dinner ever! The best part is that it's mostly hands-off cooking time which makes it totally possible on a busy weeknight!

You Will Love This

• It's easy to prepare! The oven does all the hard work in this recipe - cooking the bacon AND roasting the potatoes for you! And the only (not even really that fancy) kitchen tool you'll need is a high speed blender or an immersion blender. The part is there's no need to whisk flour and butter together to make a roux! This loaded potato soup gets it's creaminess from the blending of the veggies!
• The potatoes are roasted IN BACON GREASE. I mean, come on. Bacon roasted potatoes. Yes, please! Cooking bacon in the oven is the easiest way to get evenly cooked, perfectly crisp strips every single time. And the leftover bacon grease that drips through the cooling rack is the perfect flavor enhancer for the roasted potatoes! It gives the soup a subtle smoky flavor and it's just really great.
• If you loved this potato soup, be sure to check out my Beer Cheese Sausage and Potato Soup, my Vegan Creamy Kale and Potato Soup, or my One Pot Creamy Crab Soup.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Bacon - Baking bacon is the easiest way to get it evenly cooked through with minimal hands on prep time. Then you get to use the bacon grease to roast the potatoes which adds a delicious, subtle bacon flavor throughout the soup.
• Yukon Gold Potatoes - I love the creamy texture of Yukon Golds and they work well for this recipe because they have a thin skin and lower starch level so you don't have to peel them and they don't get gluey when blended. You could also use baby red potatoes for this potato soup without peeling them. However, if you're using Russet potatoes you may want to peel them before roasting as their skin is considerably thicker.
• Herbs - Dried oregano, dried thyme, and dried sage are my herbs of choice for this soup. Feel free to use Italian seasoning in place of those dried herbs.
• Chicken Broth - I like the flavor that chicken broth adds but you could use veggie broth instead.
• Half and Half - Equal parts heavy cream and whole milk will work as a substitute for the half and half in this recipe. You could also use plain Greek yogurt if that's what you've got on hand, but it won't be quite as creamy.
• White Balsamic Vinegar - My favorite thing to add to any rich, creamy soup is vinegar! If you haven't tried it before - you must. You could use regular balsamic vinegar, white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar in place of the white balsamic vinegar.

Instructions

Place a cooling rack on a baking sheet. Place bacon on the cooling rack.

Bake for about 15 minutes or until crisp. Don't drain the grease! Transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and crumble when cooled.

Dice potatoes into 1-inch cubes and place them along with the onions onto the baking sheet with bacon grease. Place garlic on a small piece of tin foil. Drizzle everything with oil and season with herbs, salt, and pepper, and toss to coat. Seal garlic inside by folding the tin foil into a small pouch.

Roast for about 25 minutes or until the potatoes are fork-tender. 

Transfer potatoes and onions to a high-speed blender. Squeeze garlic cloves from the skins into the blender as well. Add 3 cups of chicken broth and blend soup just until it becomes smooth and creamy - do not blend for too long!

Pour soup into a large pot or Dutch oven and heat over medium heat just until warmed through. Stir in half and half and vinegar. 

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Garnish bowls of soup with crispy crumbled bacon, sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, and parsley!

Tips

• You don't need to peel the potatoes! The thin skin on the Yukon gold potatoes is just one of the reasons that we chose them for this loaded potato soup recipe! Yukon golds get super buttery when cooked and also have a low starch level which means they're less likely to turn into a gluey mess when blended!
• Blend the soup JUST until smooth and creamy. Don't blend for too long or you'll end up with a gluey texture instead of a smooth and creamy soup! If you want to be extra sure that the soup doesn't turn gluey, just pulse the blender until the potatoes are minced but not completely smooth. That will give you a thicker, chunkier texture which some people really love in their soups! You could also blend just half the potatoes so there are large chunks of potatoes throughout the soup.
• If you don't have a blender, you can use a potato masher instead! This won't give you a perfectly smooth texture, but it will still give you a creamy potato soup! Just place the roasted potatoes into a large pot along with the broth. Mash potatoes until mostly smooth. Then use the side of a chef's knife to smash the roasted garlic into a paste and chop the onions up. Add them to the soup and continue following the directions in the recipe card.
• Go crazy with the toppings! If you've checked out any of my other soup recipes, you've noticed that I like to garnish, garnish, garnish when it comes to soup! I love to add a variety of textures and flavors to my soups and this loaded potato soup is no exception! Sour cream adds a cool, creamy element. Sharp cheddar cheese adds a delicious bite. Crispy bacon adds a meaty crunch. And fresh chopped parsley, sliced chives, or green onion elevates all the flavors to another level.

Make Ahead, Storage, Freezing, and Reheating

• Make Ahead: You can make this potato soup on Sunday afternoon and have a quick and easy dinner ready to go all week! This recipe is the perfect make ahead meal as the flavors just get better with time!
• Storage: Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week.
• Freezing: You can also freeze this soup in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Allow frozen soup to thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
• Reheating: Reheat potato soup in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently until warmed through. You may need to add a splash of broth or half and half to the soup to loosen it up as it will thicken as it cools. Don't forget to season to taste with salt and pepper after re-heating each time!

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