My home country of East Africa is known for its incredibly soft, triangle-shaped Mandazis. With a cup of tea or coffee, they go great. They differ from conventional doughnuts because of the real flavor that the cardamom gives. They can be served with jam or honey. Additionally, mandazis can be served with curry, which is how we prefer them.
| Prep Time: | 15 mins |
| Cook Time: | 7 hrs 15 mins |
| Total Time: | 7 hrs 30 mins |
| Servings: | 4 |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 10 red potatoes, cut into cubes
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup real bacon bits
- 1 small red onion, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
- 1 tablespoon ranch dressing mix
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 cups water
- 1 cup half-and-half
- ½ cup shredded Cheddar cheese, or to taste
- ¼ cup chopped green onion, or to taste
Instructions
- Put potatoes in the bottom of your slow cooker crock. Scatter flour over the potatoes; toss to coat.
- Scatter bacon bits, red onion, garlic, chicken bouillon, ranch dressing mix, parsley, seasoned salt, and black pepper over the potatoes.
- Pour water into the slow cooker.
- Cook on Low 7 to 9 hours.
- Pour half-and-half into the soup; cook another 15 minutes.
- Garnish with Cheddar cheese and green onion to serve.
- You can also cook soup on High for 4 to 5 hours.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 336 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 27 g |
| Cholesterol | 56 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Protein | 18 g |
| Saturated Fat | 10 g |
| Sodium | 1720 mg |
| Sugars | 3 g |
| Fat | 18 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
With the exception of subbing lactose-free milk for the cream, I followed this recipe exactly and it was SO obnoxiously salty, I couldn’t believe it had so many wonderful reviews. That being said, I think that this recipe is on the right track and with some adjustments to the salt-containing items, it could be really flavorful without being quite as overpowering. I used an immersion blender on about 3/4 of the potatoes so the soup was nice and thick while still having a few of those lovely potato chunks in it. We still ate it, but we will be checking our blood pressure regularly 😉
I love this recipe! Super easy to put together and tasted so good. I did use chicken broth instead of water.
Made on stove top in my 6.5qt Dutch Oven per recipe ingredients. This is a great tasting recipe & simple to make. What I find interesting though is the fact that nobody mentions adding some good smoked andouille sausage to this soup. The GOOD andouille from a butcher shop that smokes their own meat & sausages. The smoky flavor of the sausage adds another layer of flavor & the sausage itself kicks it up another notch. I slice some in quarter inch pieces & some smaller pieces to really let the smokiness come through. Would have given it a 5 but just thought it was missing the sausage. So much better with it.
Super easy to make on a work day. I also used an immersion blender at the end because that is how we like our soup. For the reviewer who stated the half and half curdled, then you were using old or bad half and half. It doesn’t curdle when put into coffee or tea and it won’t curdle in soup unless it is bad.
Double and use 3 pound bag of potatoes. Maybe chop smaller than 8ths.
I love this recipe!! I have sent it to my mom, my brother, and my sister (2/3 live out of state). I make this a few times a year and there are never leftovers. Also awesome to take to work. The flavors are so great and reheat well. This is a solid go-to in my family. Thank you for sharing ! I cook bacon in a pan ahead of time and add in the bacon and grease to the slow cooker. Always been pleased with the soup!
My husband and I really liked this! The juice evaporated while cooking so I added more half-and-half. When ready to eat, I put the cheese in and heated it up so the cheese melted some. My husband put some parmesan cheese in it. We both ate a big bowl of it!! I plan on making this often. I cut my potatoes in small cubes. Next time I may make them a little bigger. Addendum: I made a couple more times using Chicken Broth instead of water – much better.
Wow! This soup is dinner guest worthy! I didn’t have time to use the slow cooker, so I made it on the stove with the same instructions. It was ready in about 2 hours. I did change a couple of things. I used mostly red potatoes and left most of the skin, and I threw in some peeled white potatoes. I also used more garlic and some Creole seasoning and white pepper for a little kick. Topped with green onions and some shredded cheese. The results were perfect Thanks for sharing.
I added four boneless chicken thighs ( pre cooked in a pan). Sooooooo good!
Super tasty. If you want to thicken at the end, just take an immersion blender to a portion of the potatoes and stir.
Loved this. Made in 4 qt. w/less potatoes and kept ingredients the same. Also made your ranch dressing mix and it took it over the top. Now I am using it in other recepies that call for salt, etc. Will make again and try chicken stock. Try it you won’t regret it.
Loved it! Used no sodium chicken soup, but did use some seasoned salt. Added 5 Tablespoons of flour so it would thicken. Also added Mrs. Dash a little garlic salt and lemon pepper.
You should not add the half-and-half to the hot mixture it curdled and it ruin the entire soup
I made it exactly as written, and it was very good. My family isn’t used to much processed food, so next time I will use cooked bacon instead of the bacon bits, and use a homemade ranch dressing mix.
The recipe was easy to follow. Turned out very well!
The best potato soup ever! This recipe will stay in my family for generations to come. I’ve had a few friends offer to pay me to make this it is that good! Thank you for.sharing!
Amazing! Must try!
Bummed. The ranch gave it a sour aftertaste we didn’t like.
Great recipe. Used better than bullion instead of granules and regular bacon. Will make again!
Excellent recipe! I made the adjustments to make 6 servings, because it is spectacular as a leftover. I also increased the ranch seasoning to 1 packet and 1 tablespoon. After frying my REAL bacon, I saved the fat, and sautéed the garlic (I used a tsp of minced in a jar) and onion in it until the onion was translucent, but not quite cartelized. Next, instead of water I used boxed chicken broth. In my crockpot on high, it only takes about 3 hours or so. Topped with the bacon (which remains crunchy, but you get the bacon flavor from the sautéed onion/garlic) and some shredded sharp cheese – Fabulous.
This potato soup made a March day of kite flying that much more joy filled. Laughter of course filled the air with abundant life as dining on this over the atmosphere of a peaceful home made our dining all that much more brighter. Changed the dry salad dressing out for a Kosher salad dressing and added a dash of 100 % pure virgin olive oil to the parsley and miniature chopped red onions. It is so very good to live life to the fullest, of a greater joy always and keep a good ‘healthy’ and pure laughter at the helm. Staying warm and ever bright of the sunshine of a good & faithful delight. Ariel O’Suilleabhain