Cold winter days make warm, thick soups a real comfort. This down home potato soup is warming and filling made with everyday ingredients that are usually already on hand. Very creamy with a rich cheesy taste that will keep 'em coming back for more.
Ingredients:
- 6 potatoes, diced
- 2 carrots, dices or sliced
- 1 rib of celery, sliced
- 1 med onion, chopped
- 1 lb. bacon, fried and crumbled, reserve the grease
- ¼ c. butter or part butter and part bacon grease from frying the bacon
- 1 can cream of chicken soup
- 2 c. milk
- 8 oz cream cheese, warmed to room temp
- salt and pepper
Method:
- Dice the potatoes into ½ inch cubes. There's no need to be exact, they just need to be small enough to cook at about the same rate as the other vegetables.
- Peel and slice the carrots and celery into ¼ inch slices. Carrots generally take a little longer to cook so a thinner slice will ensure that they are tender when the potatoes are cooked.
- Remove the skin and root end from the onion. Dice into ¼ to ½ inch pieces. Any type of onion can be used but sweet onions are a particularly nice compliment to the cheese and bacon in this cheesy soup recipe.
- Put all the vegetables in a dutch oven or 5 quart pot and add enough water to just cover the vegetables. Bring the water to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer till the potatoes are tender when poked with a fork. The water is just for cooking the vegetables and will be drained away later or reserve the vegetable water and use it to make a delicious loaf of homemade bean bread. You'll be helping the environment by saving water that would other wise be wasted.
- When the vegetables are cooked, remove from heat and drain the water, reserving it to a bowl.
- In another bowl, mix the cream of chicken soup and 2 cups of milk wisking till smooth. Add to the vegetables in the pot.
- Add the butter and/or bacon grease
- Return to the heat and warm the soup over medium heat.
- Break the cream cheese into lumps and add to the soup. Breaking it up helps to melt the cheese faster.
- Add the bacon and salt and pepper to taste.
Refrigerate any leftovers but don't expect there to be any. This potato soup recipe is a hit for holidays or quiet dinners at home especially when the weather is cool or special company is coming.