Loaded Baked Potato Soup
A thick and rich potato soup with ingredients and garnishes found in loaded baked potatoes
Servings: 4 generous bowls
Ingredients
- 3 large russet potatoes
- 6 strips bacon
- 1 onion or shallot
- 1 stalk celery
- 1 900 ml carton vegetable broth or about 3½ cups
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- ¾ cup full fat sour cream, divided save ¼ cup for garnish, mix with a bit of milk to thin if desired
- 1-2 Tbsp milk to thin sour cream
- 1 cup shredded sharp white cheddar cheese, divided save ¼ cup for garnish
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley, divided save half for garnish
- 1 Tbsp diced chives or green onions, divided save half for garnish
- 1 tsp salt
- fresh cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Pre bake or microwave potatoes until very soft.
- Cut bacon into thin strips. Fry in small skillet until browned and very crispy. Reserve 1 Tbsp bacon fat, remove bacon to paper towel lined plate.
- Finely dice onion. Chop celery into small pieces. Sauté in bacon fat in soup pot until softened.
- Add full carton of vegetable broth. Bring to a simmer and add HALF of the cooked bacon and 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce.
- Cut potatoes in half and fluff with a fork. Scrape potato into soup, being careful not to add any skin. Simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally and breaking any larger potato chunks with the back of a spoon. Taste and season with salt.
- Remove pot from heat and slowly stir half of the shredded cheddar cheese into the soup, reserving the rest for garnish. Add ½ cup sour cream in small amounts, reserving ¼ cup sour cream for garnish. Stir a bit of milk into reserved sour cream to thin so it can be drizzled on top of the soup.
- Chop parsley and chives. Stir half into the soup right before serving.
- Ladle into bowls and drizzle thinned sour cream over top. Garnish with crispy bacon bits, shredded cheese, parsley and chives. Add fresh cracked black pepper if desired.