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Potato bacon soup in a white bowl.
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Easy Cheesy Potato Bacon Soup

This potato bacon soup is loaded with chopped bacon, cheese, and chunks of potato. It makes a quick and easy dinner that everyone will love.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 5 to 6 servings
Calories 617kcal
Author Tracy

Ingredients

  • 12 ounces uncooked bacon sliced into 3/4-inch pieces
  • ½ medium onion diced small
  • 2 celery ribs diced small
  • 2 large russet potatoes peeled and diced medium (about 4 cups)
  • 4 cups (2 15oz cans) chicken broth
  • 5 tablespoons (71g) butter salted or unsalted is fine
  • ¼ cup and 1 tablespoon (44g) all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups milk any percentage
  • 6 ounces (about 1 ½ cups) shredded cheddar cheese plus more as desired for topping
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • Salt
  • Sour cream optional for topping
  • Sliced green onions optional for topping

Instructions

  • Add bacon pieces to a large pot. Turn heat to medium and cook until bacon is cooked through but only slightly crispy. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a paper-towel lined plate and set aside.
  • Spoon off and discard all but about 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat. Add onions and celery to the pot and cook over medium heat, stirring often and scraping any browned cooked-on bits from the bottom of the pan, for about 5 minutes, until the onions have just begun to turn translucent around the edges.
  • Add potatoes and chicken broth to the pot. Bring to a simmer and then cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until potatoes can be easily smashed against the side of the pot with a fork.
  • Use a potato masher or spatula to roughly smash about half of the potatoes in the pot.
  • In a medium pot, over medium heat, melt butter and then add flour. Cook, whisking continuously, until flour begins to turn lightly golden, about 1 minute.
  • Slowly drizzle in milk, whisking constantly as you go to whisk out any lumps. Cook, whisking continuously, until mixture is thickened and bubbly around the edges, about 5 minutes.
  • Remove pot from heat and slowly whisk in cheese, a handful at a time. Once all your cheese is melted, stir the cheese sauce into the soup. Add pepper. Taste the soup and add salt if needed.
  • Add about ¾ of the bacon to the soup (reserve ¼ for topping) and stir everything together.
  • Ladle into bowls, top with sour cream, reserved bacon, sliced green onions, and more cheese if desired. Enjoy!

Notes

Approximate nutritional information is for 6 servings. 

Nutrition

Calories: 617kcal