Loaded Baked Potato Soup (Print)

A creamy, comforting blend of baked potatoes, bacon, cheddar, and savory broth with a tangy finish.

# Components:

→ Potatoes

01 - 4 large russet potatoes, scrubbed

→ Dairy

02 - 1 cup sour cream
03 - 1 ½ cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
04 - 1 cup whole milk
05 - 1 cup heavy cream
06 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

→ Meats

07 - 6 slices bacon

→ Vegetables & Aromatics

08 - 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
09 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
10 - 2 green onions, thinly sliced

→ Broth & Seasonings

11 - 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
12 - ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
13 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

→ Garnish

14 - Additional shredded sharp cheddar cheese, as desired
15 - Additional sour cream, as desired

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Pierce russet potatoes with a fork, place on a baking sheet, and bake for 45 to 60 minutes until tender. Allow to cool slightly, peel, and cut into ½-inch chunks.
02 - In a large pot over medium heat, cook bacon slices until crispy. Remove bacon, crumble, and set aside. Retain 2 tablespoons of bacon fat in the pot; discard the remainder.
03 - Add unsalted butter and diced onion to the pot with bacon fat. Sauté until onion is translucent, approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Incorporate minced garlic and cook for an additional minute.
04 - Pour in low-sodium chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Add potato chunks, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Simmer gently for 10 minutes, breaking up some potato pieces to thicken the texture.
05 - Reduce heat to low. Stir in whole milk, heavy cream, and 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar until melted and smooth. Add sour cream and half of the crumbled bacon, mixing gently. Heat without boiling.
06 - Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if needed.
07 - Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with remaining shredded cheddar, crumbled bacon, sliced green onions, and a dollop of sour cream.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It tastes like you've been simmering it all day, but it's on the table in under an hour.
  • Every spoonful has something textural and interesting—tender potatoes, salty bacon, that sharp bite of aged cheddar.
  • Oddly enough, it gets better the next day when the flavors have time to settle and deepen.
02 -
  • The soup will taste insipid before you add the sour cream and bacon—that's normal, that's the point, and it's where everything clicks into place.
  • If you overboil the broth once the dairy is in, the cream will separate and you'll get a broken, grainy texture that no amount of extra cheese will fix; keep it at a gentle simmer or warmer, never a rolling boil.
  • Pre-cooked potatoes are your secret weapon—baking them instead of boiling means they won't fall apart in the soup and the starches concentrate instead of leaching into the water.
03 -
  • Bake your potatoes a day ahead if you're planning the soup for dinner—cooled potatoes are easier to handle and their flesh is more stable in the broth.
  • If the soup seems too thick when you reheat it, add a splash of broth or cream rather than thinning with water, which will dilute all your flavor work.
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