Throughout the fall and winter, this is a favorite among families! It takes little time to prepare, is perfect for a lazy day, and smells the whole house up. possess a large family and visitors? Just multiply each item’s quantity by two. It’s that simple! I got the cream cheese-based potato soup free of charge from Panera Bread®. In order to appeal to the entire family, I gradually added a few additions. This soup has a good balance of flavors with a hint of lingering heat from the cayenne. You can use red pepper flakes as a substitute for the traditional garnish if you have finicky “little” ones. Serve with a fresh loaf of beer bread and some sharp, shredded cheese!
| Prep Time: | 20 mins |
| Cook Time: | 4 hrs |
| Total Time: | 4 hrs 20 mins |
| Servings: | 5 |
| Yield: | 5 servings |
Ingredients
- 2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
- 4 cups cubed red potatoes
- ¼ cup minced onion
- ½ teaspoon garlic salt
- ½ teaspoon seasoned salt
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
- 8 slices smoked bacon, cut into 1/4-inch strips
Instructions
- Combine broth, potatoes, onion, garlic salt, seasoned salt, sea salt, cayenne, basil, and parsley in a slow cooker. Cover and cook until potatoes are tender on Low, 6 to 8 hours, or on High, 4 to 6 hours.
- Use a potato masher to mash the potatoes in the slow cooker to preferred consistency. Add the cream cheese in spoonfuls to melt until smooth.
- Meanwhile, place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain bacon slices on paper towels. Stir into soup or set aside as a serving garnishment. Heat until ready to serve.
- You can use 1/2 teaspoon onion powder instead of minced onion.
- Garden vegetable-flavored cream cheese is a family favorite.
- You can boil this in a stockpot instead of using a slow cooker.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 267 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 7 g |
| Cholesterol | 69 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Protein | 10 g |
| Saturated Fat | 12 g |
| Sodium | 1617 mg |
| Sugars | 1 g |
| Fat | 22 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
I made this for my boys and they all liked it, said it was good but, different. They had no suggestions on things that would make it better. I made the recipe as written with the minced onion, onion powder substitution. I only had maybe a teaspoon left in my jar. The recipe is similar the recipe I already make but will keep it in mind if I want to change it up again.