It’s soup season! Warm up on a cold evening with this Slow Cooker Loaded Baked Potato Soup! This is what yummy comfort food looks like!
The nights are cold here now. We woke up to frost the other day. There was ice on the windshield when I went to take the kids to school. I need to get accustomed to leaving enough time for scraping it every morning. Our heat has been out in the house, so we layer up all day in all the cozy clothes to stay warm. Luckily it will be getting fixed soon.
When fall rolls around, I’m instantly in the mood for all things soup! Especially if it involves the slow cooker, because then I know it will be easy! This soup simmers in the crockpot all day and then, one hour before you’re ready to eat it, throw in a few more ingredients to make it extra creamy-good. Then let that bubble and thicken to perfection before digging in!
Of course you have to add extra cheese, sour cream, bacon, and green onions on top to make it even more of a show stopper! If you’re feeling extra ambitious, like I was on this particular evening, you can even serve it up in bread bowls! Homemade or not. The bread bowls made it taste like heaven! We were all just oooing and ahhhing over it. We couldn’t get over how good it was!
I can’t believe that, up until this point, I had never made Baked Potato Soup for my family! My kids went crazy for it! My youngest son loved it because he said, “It tastes just like mashed potatoes!” and he’s basically obsessed with mashed potatoes. My other kids devoured it without hardly speaking a word, which says a lot. Our time around the dinner table is never a quiet time.
On a busy weeknight, you’ll appreciate that you can throw the ingredients into the crockpot in the morning, then finish it up quickly shortly before enjoying it. You can find bread bowls in the bakery section of your local grocery store. Or, feel free to make your own, like I did!
I just love creamy, comforting soups like this, don’t you? Some of my other favorites are this Ham and Potato Broccoli Cheddar Soup, this Chicken and Wild Rice Soup, and this Lasagna Soup. You can’t go wrong with any of them! They will give you all the warm fuzzies when the wind is howling and the air is biting outside.
To make this soup: Wash, peel and dice the potatoes (peeling is optional if you’re using a really good potato like a red or yellow potato), then add them to the slow cooker and pour the chicken broth over. Next, add minced garlic, dried chives, oregano, black pepper, diced onion, and butter. Let that simmer and cook on low all day (about 6 to 8 hours) or on high for 4 hours.
Then, about one hour before you’re ready to eat, whisk together some heavy cream, flour and milk. Pour this into the slow cooker. Add sour cream, shredded cheddar, some reserved bacon grease, and cooked bacon pieces and stir well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Replace the lid, and allow it to continue to thicken up and heat through.
Then, serve it up with all your favorite toppings! Extra bacon and cheddar, sour cream, green onions, hot sauce, etc! I think you’ll find that this soup does indeed taste like a baked potato, but better! We thoroughly enjoyed it! I love that it makes a lot, so there are leftovers for the next night for dinner. If I can get away with not cooking for a night, I’m one happy camper!
Plus, soup always tastes better the second night, after it’s had a chance to sit in the fridge and let all the flavors really combine. I hope you get to enjoy this soup very soon! Potatoes in a creamy sauce with yummy toppings are just about the best things ever! My family was all smiles after this meal!
The next time you’re in the mood for comfort food for dinner, bust out a batch of this Baked Potato Soup! You won’t be sorry! This soup gives me all the cozy fall feels! This is one of those meals where everyone will leave, feeling happy and satisfied!
Slow Cooker Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 5 to 6 large potatoes washed, peeled and diced into bite-sized pieces
- 5 c. chicken broth
- 1 Tbsp. minced garlic
- 2 tsp. dried chives
- 1/2 tsp. salt or to taste
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper or to taste
- 1 medium yellow onion very finely diced
- 3 Tbsp. butter
- 1/3 c. all-purpose flour
- 1 c. heavy cream
- 1 c. milk
- 3/4 c. sour cream
- 1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
- 9 pieces cooked bacon broken into pieces, (4 for in the soup, 5 for topping), reserve 1 Tbsp. bacon grease for the soup
- Toppings:
- Shredded Cheddar
- Sour Cream
- Diced Green Onions
- Bacon pieces
Instructions
- In a large slow cooker, add the potatoes. Pour the chicken broth over and stir. Add minced garlic, chives, a little salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Add the diced onion and stir together well. Slice the butter and set it on top of the potatoes/broth.
- Cook on high for about 4 hours or low for 6 to 8 hours.
- About one hour before you're ready to eat, whisk together flour, heavy cream and milk in a bowl, so no lumps remain. Pour that into the slow cooker. Add 3/4 c. sour cream, 1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar, 1 Tbsp. reserved bacon grease, and 4 pieces of cooked bacon that have been crumbled. Stir that all together well, add salt to taste, then replace the lid and allow it to cook and thicken until completely heated through. About an hour.
- Serve, topped with shredded cheddar, sour cream, diced green onions and the additional crumbled bacon.
Enjoy!
