This Potato Soup is the pinnacle of hearty, warm, delicious goodness in a bowl. As far as fall soups go, they don’t get much more comforting, creamy, and cheesy than this easy-to-make vegetarian soup.
If you’re really feeling this soup thing and want to make all the soups, you’ll definitely want to try your hand at making these easy and tasty recipes ASAP: Instant Pot or Slow Cooker Chicken Marsala Soup, Instant Pot or Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup, or this awesome Slow Cooker Tomato Basil Parmesan Tortellini Soup.
Do you ever get on a food “kick”? Where you’ll either eat the same thing over and over again or you’ll want to make a different version of the same thing over and over again? No? Me either.
Kidding. Of course I get on jags like that. And right now it’s soup. All the soup. Every kind, just about every variety. If it’s not on the blog yet, don’t worry — I’ll get to it probably sooner than later. I just love a nice warm bowl of soup when the weather starts to turn and get chilly. It doesn’t actually take much for me to get there. A drop in temperature of about 10-20 degrees and I’m whipping out the soup pot and gathering my ingredients. All the while in my head I’m thinking “What can I blend?” “What pasta would go good with chicken and enchilada sauce?” “Have I used mushrooms in a soup yet?” And while they don’t always make it to the final cut, I’ve found that a lot of my best soup recipes come to me while I’m making another kind of soup. So, hence, the soup jag. It’s like chain smoking soups. When one is gone, I’m right on to the next before the leftovers have even been eaten (and don’t get me started on leftover soup — just as good!). Not that I’m condoning smoking.
Anyway, I think you get the gist. If not, you can skip over all my blabber next time and get right to the point, which is that soups rock, full stop.
HOW DO YOU MAKE POTATO SOUP?
Oh, one other thing about my soup making: I like them to be as easy and quick as possible. And this one definitely hits my main imperatives.
Once you have all of your potatoes, veggies, and garlic chopped and ready to go, you can put this soup together in a pinch. First, put the veggies, garlic, and butter into a large stock pot and turn up the heat to medium-high. Cook all of this together for about 3 minutes while you stir the ingredients around a few times to soften everything up.
Now add to that the potatoes and salt and pepper and cook all of that for another 5 minutes. Add the broth, and bring the entire mixture up to a boil, cooking for about 10 minutes or until the potatoes start to get tender.
In a small bowl, mix the flour and milk together to create a roux. Stir this into the soup to thicken the mixture up a bit. Keep cooking at that medium-high heat for another 5 minutes (check to see if you can pierce them with a fork; if you can, they tender and ready to go).
Here’s where the soup goes from a bunch of veggies in broth to the magic that is this Potato Soup. If you have an immersion blender, great! Stick that baby into the pot and blend away. No immersion blender? No problem: Simply blend the soup in batches in the blender. Be sure to leave the vent open in the lid and cover with a towel so that the steam can escape but you won’t be burned by said steam.
Once you’re blended, add cheese into the soup in the stock pot. Stir the cheese up until it’s all completely melted. Taste as you go (the best part!) to make sure it has enough salt and pepper or any other spices you’d like to add. Garnish and serve!
HOW DO YOU SERVE POTATO SOUP?
I think all the toppings you’d usually put in a baked potato also work just as well for potato soup. I like to set some bowls out by the stove and let guests serve themselves. Then, I put the following out on the table or in bowls, so that everyone can make the soup their own.
- Shredded cheese (cheddar, Parmesan, monterey jack, whatever cheese you love).
- Bacon bits or chopped, cooked bacon (I think the crispier the better).
- Chopped chives or green onions
- Parsley or thyme
- Cooked, diced potatoes (reserve some that you cooked already or use some frozen ones) if you like the texture of potatoes in your soup.
- Shredded, roasted Brussels sprouts or kale add some green to your soup and taste so yummy when mixed in.
- Sour cream
- Red pepper flakes
- Swirl chipotle sauce or add a dash of chopped chipotles in adobo for a little extra spice.
- A variety of hot sauces.
- Black or white beans
- Diced red onions
- Thin, fried pieces of garlic
Potato Soup
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 3 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 whole carrots, diced
- 6 russet potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1 teaspoon salt more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper or 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 8 cups low sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 1 cup heavy cream OR fat free half and half
- 1 cup milk
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 1/2 cups freshly grated cheddar or white cheddar cheese
- optional garnishes: cooked and crumbled bacon or bacon bits, fresh herbs such as thyme or parsley, cracked black pepper, cheddar or parmesan cheese
In a large stock pot over medium-high heat combine onions, celery, carrots, garlic, and butter. Stir until butter is melted. Cook 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent.
Add potatoes, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 5 minutes.
Stir in broth, bring to a low boil and cook for 10 minutes until potatoes begin to get tender.
Stir flour into the milk and gradually stir into the soup.
Cook for another 5 or so minutes until potatoes are fork-tender.
Transfer in batches to a blender (*always be cautious when blending hot liquids!) and puree until smooth. Stir back into the pot.
Stir in cheese until completely melted. Taste, add salt and pepper if needed, and serve immediately garnished with fresh herbs, cracked black pepper, and cooked bacon if desired.
