Description
This loaded baked potato soup is pure comfort in a bowl. It’s creamy, hearty, and packed with crispy bacon, cheese, and tender potatoes. Perfect for cold days and ready in just 45 minutes.
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon, cooked until crispy and crumbled
- 1/3 pound ham, diced into cubes and fried in butter until lightly browned
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1/3 cup yellow onion, diced
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 1/3 cups whole milk
- 1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
- 3 large Russet baking potatoes, peeled and diced
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 1/3 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
- 1/2 cup sour cream, or more to taste
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Cook the bacon until crispy, then crumble. Dice and pan-fry the ham in butter until lightly browned.
- Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add diced onion and cook for 5 minutes until soft.
- Whisk in flour until golden brown. Slowly add milk while whisking for 2-3 minutes until smooth and thickened.
- Stir in minced garlic and diced potatoes. Bring to a boil, scraping the bottom of the pot.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer for 12-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender.
- Remove from heat. Stir in ham, salt, pepper, sour cream, and half the cheese.
- Ladle into bowls and top with remaining cheese, crumbled bacon, and sliced green onions.
Notes
- Mash tender potatoes with a masher before adding final ingredients for desired consistency.
- Remove soup from heat before stirring in sour cream to prevent curdling.
- Add extra milk when reheating chilled soup to restore consistency.
- Hand-grate cheese for the smoothest melting results.
- Cook bacon until very crispy and drain on paper towels before crumbling for best texture.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 485 kcal