Description
Keep the chill away on a winter’s day with this hearty, flavorful Loaded Baked Potato Soup! Salty bacon, creamy cheddar, sour cream and fresh green onion make this soup simply loaded with amazing flavor and texture!
Ingredients
- 5 large russet baking potatoes
- 1 (16 ounce) package bacon slices
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 7 cups milk
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
- 3/4 cup sour cream, divided
- 1 bunch green onions, chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Clean and scrub the potatoes. Pierce each potato with a fork about 6 times. Wrap individually in foil and bake for about 45 minutes until soft to the touch. Let cool enough to handle.
- Remove the skin from all of the baked potatoes and mash two of them in a bowl. Cut the remaining baked potatoes into small cubes.
- Using kitchen scissors or a sharp knife, cut the bacon into small pieces. Add the bacon pieces to a large pot and cook over medium-high heat until crisp, about 10 minutes. Remove the bacon from the pot with a slotted spoon, leaving the grease in the pot.
- Reserve 1/4 cup of the cooked bacon bits, 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, 1/4 cup green onions and 1/4 cup sour cream for garnishing.
- Turn the burner down to medium heat and whisk the flour into the bacon grease. A thick mixture will form. Slowly whisk in the milk and continue to whisk until thickened.
- Stir in the mashed and cubed potatoes.
- Add 1/2 cup sour cream, 1 and 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese and the remaining bacon. Slowly stir until cheese is melted.
- Once the cheese is melted, stir in all but 1/4 cup of the chopped green onions, salt and black pepper.
- Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with reserved cheese, bacon, green onions and sour cream, if desired.