Baked Potato Soup

Creamy and smooth, this Baked Potato Soup is prepared with onion and garlic in a simple roux which is what makes the soup thick and lucious. Add cheese and crumbled cooked bacon for even more texture and flavour! Serve with warm, crusty bread for a complete, hearty meal!

One would have to agree that a baked potato is one of the most humble and delicious of all side vegetable dishes. There is just something so soothing and comforting about that piping hot interior of the baked potato in contrast to the crispy, salty skin. This Baked Potato Soup recipe makes good use of this simple ingredient and combines it with everyone’s favourite baked potato toppings, such as butter and cheese!

I’m going to be one of those food bloggers who starts a recipe by writing four score and seven years ago… That, my Dear Reader, is why the Jump to Recipe button exists in the first place. You can click on it now and skip over everything I’m about to tell you. However, if you want to hear another story about my childhood, read on! Before we get to it, I have to tell you that one time someone asked me if I was the real-life Oliver Twist. They couldn’t believe that a young kid raised in the 70s and 80s in rural Newfoundland had a life so different from the one they had growing up at the same time in the city.

Looking back, I can see why they would say that. Unlike them, I can remember things like having to pots of water to take a proper bath. I can remember seeing the roads paved and street lights being installed. Running home from school to go check our rabbit traps, help our dads to saw logs into firewood, or to cleave splits to light the fire with the next morning. (Bonus points for those of you who know what that means!) It may be a far cry from poor Olive Twist, but I completely understand why she said it.

BAKED POTATOES

Why did I make mention of my childhood in Newfoundland? Well, it was to tell you about how us kids used to make baked potatoes. If my mom were preparing the potatoes, she would do what everyone else does. She would stab them a few times with a fork, rub them down with a little bit of oil, generously salt them, wrap them in foil, and bake them in a 400-degree oven for 40-50 minutes. She would keep them in there until she was able to easily pierce them with a fork.

On the flip side, we kids would bake them quite differently. First, you must understand that building an outdoor fire was quite common for us. I remember being quite young – around 8 or 9 years old – and building a fire on the hill behind our house. It would most likely be me and a couple of friends. Our parents were never present. We would grab some matches from the basement and a bit of birch rind and build a fire by burning twigs, branches, or spruce trees that we chopped down with our axes.

Once the fire was burning nicely, we would toss raw, unwrapped potatoes into the flames and leave them there to roast. In the meantime, we might cook a wiener or roast an apple on a stick that we carved into a point using our pocket knives. Or maybe we tossed in some used-up aerosol cans and ran away, hiding behind a tree or laying low in the grass until the thing exploded. Once our fun was had, we would hook the now blackened potatoes out of the fire using a stick, slice it open, and enjoy. That smoky, burnt flavour cannot be accomplished any other way!

For the purpose of this recipe, Dear Reader, you can bake your potato any way you see fit. You can even use the microwave if you prefer! I will say that even though a fire-baked potato is the best way, I know it’s not an option for everyone. In fact, I haven’t done it in many, many years. The baked potatoes used in this Baked Potato Soup recipe were wrapped in foil in roasted in an oven.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Olive Oil
• Butter
• Onion – I use yellow, white, and sweet onions interchangeably.  Either of them will do just fine.
• Garlic – Use fresh garlic whenever possible. Even the pre-minced stuff in the jars is better than garlic powder or granulated garlic in this recipe.
• Seasonings – Salt, ground black pepper, and ground nutmeg.
• Flour – All-purpose flour is used here.
• Vegetable Stock – If you are using store-bought, use low sodium. Some of them can be overly salty!
• Milk – I always use whole milk.
• Baked Potatoes – You will need 4 large baked potatoes. Once cooled, remove the skin and mash the potatoes lightly with a fork.
• Cheese – A sharp shredded cheddar is great, but feel free to experiment with other flavours.
• Green Onions – For flavour and garnish.
• Parsley – For freshness, colour, and garnish.
• Bacon – This is optional and is used to garnish and add another level of flavour.

HOW TO PREPARE BAKED POTATO SOUP

In a heavy-bottomed soup pot or Dutch oven, add the olive oil, butter, and onions. Over medium heat, stir and cook the onions until golden brown. Add the salt, ground black pepper, ground nutmeg, and minced garlic. Stir well and cook for 3 minutes.

Next, stir in the flour until well absorbed. Once no trace of the flour remains, continue to cook the flour with the onions and garlic mixture for 3 minutes. Pour in the vegetable broth half a cup at a time, whisking it well into the flour mixture after each addition. Next, pour in the milk half a cup at a time, continuing to whisk well after each addition. Continue to cook for 3-5 minutes until the sauce mixture thickens.

Add the cooked, mashed potatoes and shredded cheese. Stir well to incorporate. Once the cheese is melted, cook for an additional 3-5 minutes or until the soup is fully heated through. Serve and garnish with more shredded cheese, green onions, and crumbled cooked bacon. (All of these are optional, of course!)

LEFTOVERS AND/OR FREEZING

This recipe does make about four hearty servings, which might be too much or too little, depending on the size of your family. The recipe can easily be halved or even doubled. Just be sure to use a really big soup pot if you’re doubling this recipe! Once everyone has had their fill, you might have some leftovers. If so, you can transfer the cooled soup to a food-safe container and store it in the fridge. It will keep for at least 2 days. Otherwise, you can freeze it and it will last for 3 months.

If you do refrigerate or freeze the leftovers, you may need to add a bit of water to the soup when reheating. Start with just a few tablespoons of water at a time to avoid turning the soup into a broth! Of course, if you add more water, you will need to re-season as well.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

Even though Baked Potato Soup is a complete meal all on its own, you might want to consider serving this soup with a few other items. If you have a larger family, you can serve smaller bowls of soup – make it stretch further by serving it with some crusty bread. No matter how thick and hearty the soup is, you cannot go wrong with a slice or two of really good crusty bread.

Soups are often served with sandwiches and this one is no different. Since you have potato and cheese-based soup here, it just makes sense to serve it with a grilled cheese or BLT sandwich. That is if you like grilled cheese sandwiches! I’m not a fan of them, so I would make a grilled cheese for John.e and McKenna, but I would make a BLT (bacon, lettuce, and tomato) sandwich for myself!