Slow Cooker Baked Potato Soup
- Cook Time: 6 hours
- Total Time: 6 hours
- Category: Main Dish- Soup
Ingredients
- 1 pound bacon, chopped
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 6–8 potatoes, peeled and cubed (I usually use russets, but have also used red potatoes or Yukon Golds and they are equally delicious)
- 1/2 – 1 teaspoon sea salt (I use Redmond Salt)
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- Chives or green onions (for garnish, optional)
Instructions
- In a large skillet, cook the bacon until crispy, then remove it from the pan and set aside.
- Cook the onion in the bacon fat until soft. Add the garlic and thyme, and sauté for an additional 1-2 minutes.
- Add the flour, stir and brown for several minutes, then add in 2 cups broth and gently stir until thickened.
- Add this thickened gravy mixture to the slow cooker, along with the potatoes and rest of the broth.
- Cook 5-6 hours on low, or until the potatoes are soft.
- minutes before serving, add 1.5 cups cheese, the sour cream, and the heavy cream to the slow cooker. Using a potato masher or immersion blender, mash the potato chunks to make a smoother consistency. (I still like to leave some chunks in there, though)
- Heat through, then serve. Top with bacon bits, the remaining cheese, and chives, if desired.
Notes
- This recipe can easily be doubled.
- I have not experimented with making this gluten-free, sorry.
- If you don’t have chicken broth, you can substitute beef broth or even pork broth instead.
- Last time I made this, I used red potatoes and didn’t peel them. I just mashed up the peels with the softened potatoes, and it still turned out great. I wouldn’t recommend doing this with russets, however, as they have tougher peels. Just peel those babies.
- In the past, I’ve substituted extra sour cream if I was out of heavy cream, or even milk will work in a pinch.
