Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Warm weather beckons grilled food. It's only right that you make warm food for cool weather right? 

And boy do I love the weather right now. 

This past weekend was windy and very cold. Immediately I said "alright. Let's do soup." There were options: corn and crab chowder, beef + vegetable, chicken and noodle, chicken and dumplings, and then there was potato soup.

 In our house, we load it. I feel like this is the only way to go. Hold onto your treadmill folks, this recipe is GOOD. My husband easily eats three bowls of this stuff. 

Ingredients:10 strips of bacon, cut in pieces
4 cups potatoes (I like red, but you use what you fancy), cut in chunks
4 tbsp butter
1/2 cup onion, diced
1/2 cup celery, diced
1/2 cup carrots, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 + 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 tbsp chicken base
8 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
2 + 1/4 cups whipping cream
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup green onions, minced
1/2 tsp dill
1/4 tsp Old Bay
1/2 cup sour cream
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp parsley



Method To The Madness:

1. In a big pot over medium-high heat, saute that bacon until it's cooked and crisp. Pour out all but 1/4 cup of the leftover grease. Toss in the onions, celery, carrots, and garlic. Saute for about 10 minutes on medium heat until they're cooked through. The carrots will still be a bit crunchy which is okay if you're planning on letting this soup simmer throughout the afternoon.
2. Add in the remaining ingredients minus the bacon and cheddar. Let everything simmer for about an hour.
3. Add in the 8oz of cheese and 1/2 cup bacon. Stir + serve.
4. We top ours with more cheese and bacon. Go big or go home right?

Jaw dropping goodness.

This recipe is easily doubled and can be frozen to pull out when you're feeling pushed for time.

Also, you can throw it all in the crock pot in the morning (minus the bacon and cheese again..) adding one extra cup of chicken broth, and letting it sit on low until you're ready for dinner.