All the cheesy creamy savory flavors of your favorite loaded baked potato in a delicious and comforting soup, perfect for cold days and hot mugs. Pull on your fuzzy socks and put up your feet and give this delicious treat a try!
It’s finally that day – that first day back at work! I’ve been both dreading it and looking forward to it the past couple weeks. I’ve been craving the mental exercise and social interaction I get at work but hating the idea of losing out on morning cuddles with my baby son, hating the idea of bundling him up and turning him over to someone else, and I’m pretty sure that as soon as I leave the house, I’m going to be counting the minutes until I can go get him, come home, put a fire on in the fireplace, put on some cozy socks, and soak in the comfort.
And there should be comfort food. Comfort soup. It’s that kind of weather. We’ve made a lot of different soups around here since the weather got colder – chicken noodle, tomato, creamy broccoli cheddar, roasted butternut squash, roasted pumpkin, veggie and seafood chowders, French onion…I could go on forever. We love our comfort food soups around here!
Although I have to say my very favorite comfort soup is loaded baked potato!
I originally came across the idea for this recipe on a blog from Disneyland’s Carnation Cafe, and instantly fell in love with the idea. What’s not to love about a loaded baked potato? Bacon. Sour cream. Heavy cream. Cheese. Bacon. Did I mention bacon already? My loving way of telling you this is not a calorie friendly recipe. It’s decadent. It’s epic.
And served in large mugs, it’s filling, delicious, and the perfect comfort food for anyone whose insides really needed a food hug.
Make this deliciously hearty soup for lunch before you head out on an afternoon hike, or better yet, throw all the ingredients in your Crockpot, set it for 4 hours on high, and when you come back from your adventure or your work day, mash it all up and you’re good to go!
[lt_recipe name=”Loaded Baked Potato Soup” summary=”All the cheesy creamy savory flavors of your favorite loaded baked potato in a delicious and comforting soup, perfect for cold days and hot mugs!” servings=”6″ total_time=”1H” print=”yes” image=”https://homefrontcooking.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/loaded-baked-potato-soup-4807-1024×683.jpg” ingredients=”4 slices bacon;4 tbsp olive oil;1/2 medium onion, diced;1 shallot, sliced;1 carrot, sliced;2 celery stalks, sliced;4 large potatoes;3 tbsp flour;2 cups chicken broth;2 tsp garlic salt;pinch of thyme;pinch of rosemary;pinch of parsley;salt and pepper to taste;2/3 cup heavy cream or whole milk” ]Cook your bacon in a large stockpot. When crispy, remove the bacon pieces and dry on paper towels. Then crumble the pieces back into the pan, add the olive oil, and set the pot back on medium heat.;When the bacon and oil are sizzling again, add in the onion, carrots, shallot, and celery. Cook until the onions are translucent {about 6 minutes}. Then add the potatoes and let them cook an additional 5 minutes.;Add the flour and mix until the flour has thickened the mixture slightly {5 minutes}.;Add the chicken stock and season with the garlic salt, thyme, rosemary, and parsley. Let the mixture simmer for 25 minutes on low heat, stirring occasionally to keep the mixture from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Mash the potatoes with your spoon as they soften.;Add the cream or milk and simmer for 5 more minutes.;Pour the mixture into your blender and pulse until the ingredients are chopped but not pureed. You want the soup to be a little bit chunky. Not to mention, if you puree potatoes improperly, they get pretty gluey.;Season with salt and pepper to taste, serve up in the bowl size of your choosing, and add your garnish. Garnish can include, but is by no means limited to, bacon, bacon bits, chives, sour cream, shredded cheese – or pretty much anything you would put on a loaded baked potato![/lt_recipe]
I love serving this soup with some hearty beer bread, like this savory beer bread with Gorgonzola I whipped up yesterday, and a Cabernet Sauvignon or a Spanish Carignan, which hold their own with the hearty and earthy potato flavors. If you’re a beer fan, try it with your favorite winter lager or, best of all, a Guinness Extra stout.
What’s your favorite comfort season soup?
Basically, this just shows me that I really need to invest in some great big soup mugs, especially now that it’s cold and I’ll pretty much be on a soup diet from now until March.
There is nothing as cozy as a big soup mug that you can cradle in your hands! I’ve also been known to fill mine with hot cocoa, coffee, and milk for dipping cookies.