Creamy Potato Bacon Soup

The weather in Southeast Kansas has been unseasonably warm this year making it hard to crave a big bowl of soup. That said, the chilly dreary weather this morning finally said, “today is a soup day!” It’s a VERY busy week here at the farm with lots of folks coming to duck and deer hunt, so I’ve got a lot of mouths to feed. My Creamy Potato Bacon Soup is a big batch soup, perfect for the chilly temperatures and higher number of guests!

I’ve prepared this soup for so many hungry hunters, and those that return are always excited if it’s back on the menu when they do. It’s known as “Don’t be Late Potato Soup” by two of our favorite hunters. There’s a funny story behind the nickname, but you’re not here for funny stories, you’re here for creamy potato bacon soup. If you must hear the story, let me know in the comments below and I’ll be happy to share.

Homemade soups can have a reputation for taking all day to prepare. This soup comes together pretty quick for a made from scratch soup. Combine the quick and easy prep and simple ingredient list with the volume of soup this recipe yields and it’s the perfect recipe to feed a cold and hungry crowd.

This recipe has two frequent HIH components: a roux and crispy rendered bacon bits. Here are the links to the post I dedicated to these common components of HIH recipes:

• How-to-do: Perfectly Rendered Bacon Bits
• How-to-do: Making a Great Roux

Keys to Success – Creamy Potato Bacon Soup

1. The order of operations is important! Using the time efficiently is key to keeping this a pretty quick to make from scratch soup. For example, using the time the potatoes are boiling to render your bacon and cook down your vegetables and the time to bring the broth and milk up to temperature to make the roux. As always, I recommend prepping all ingredients in the ingredient list as noted prior to starting to cook. An organized session in the kitchen tends to yield success in the kitchen.
2. Keep the dice on the veggies small. I love lots of texture in my dishes, but for this recipe, the celery and onions serve as a flavor base, not a textural component. A small dice will ensure the veggies sweat and soften quickly without compromising the soups flavor or smooth texture.
3. TASTE! The seasonings in this soup are super simple; black pepper, white pepper, and salt. I recommend tasting after you add the roux and again after adding the potatoes and bacon. Each time you taste decide if the soup needs any more salt or pepper. I caution against adding too much salt early on. Bacon is quite salty, so if you think you need more salt, wait until you’ve added the bacon to avoid a super salty soup. When adding more pepper, I recommend adjusting a 1/2 teaspoon at a time. Adjusting the seasoning as you go will create that made from scratch flavor you’re seeking when making soup from scratch!
4. Get those bacon bits crispy. The bacon bits are the textural component in this dish. No one wants to bite into a soggy, rubbery piece of bacon. Render your bacon until it’s the deep red color pictured below to ensure that even when added to the soup, the bacon will maintain an appetizing bite!

Creamy Potato Bacon Soup

Alden Elizabeth

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Print Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Course dinner, lunch, potluck

Cuisine American

Servings 10 people

Equipment

• large stock pot or dutch oven (2)
• Measuring cups and spoons
• small sauce pan
• Whisk
• Wooden spoon
• kitchen knife

Ingredients

  

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• 3 lbs red skin potatoes cut into ¾” – 1” pieces
• 1 lbs thick sliced bacon diced
• 1 medium yellow onion diced
• 4-6 stalks of celery leaves removed, diced
• 8 cups milk
• 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1-2 teaspoon salt + more to taste
• 1-2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper + more to taste
• 1-2 teaspoon ground white pepper + more to taste
• Chopped green onions, shredded cheese and crusty bread to garnish

Instructions

 

• Cook potatoes in a large stock pot over med-high heat, starting in room temperature water bringing up to a boil until fork tender; approximately 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.
• While the potatoes are cooking, using a large stockpot or Dutch oven, render the bacon pieces over med-high heat until crispy. Remove the bacon from the pot to drain on a paper towel. Drain off all but 2-3 tablespoons of the bacon fat.
• Add the diced onions and celery followed by the salt, black pepper and white pepper to the bacon fat and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently until the onions are translucent and the celery has softened; approximately 5-7 minutes.
• Reduce heat to medium and add the chicken stock and milk to the pot. Heat until mixture is steaming hot, but not boiling. Stir the mixture frequently to prevent burning.
• While the milk and chicken stock are heating in the stock pot, melt the butter in a small saucepan until it starts to bubble. Slowly whisk in the flour to make a roux. Cook the roux over medium heat until the color is golden and the mixture smells like toasted, buttered bread; approximately 3-4 minutes.
• Slowly add the roux, whisking constantly, into the milk mixture. Allow the mixture to cook, but not boil, for another 4-5 minutes until the mixture thickens to cover the back of a wooden spoon.
• Reduce heat to low and gently stir the potatoes and bacon. Cook on low for another 30 minutes for the flavors to meld together.
• Serve with chopped green onions, shredded cheese and crusty bread.

Keyword bacon, potato, soup

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