St Patricks Loaded Potato Soup (Printable Version)

Creamy soup blending Yukon gold potatoes, cheddar, and crisp bacon for a cozy, flavorful dish.

# Ingredient List:

→ Potatoes

01 - 1.5 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced

→ Vegetables

02 - 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
03 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 2 stalks celery, diced

→ Liquids

05 - 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
06 - 1 cup low-fat milk
07 - 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

→ Cheeses

08 - 1/2 cup reduced-fat shredded sharp cheddar cheese

→ Toppings

09 - 4 slices turkey bacon or center-cut bacon, cooked and crumbled
10 - 2 green onions, thinly sliced

→ Seasonings

11 - 1/2 tsp kosher salt
12 - 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
13 - 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
14 - 1/4 tsp dried thyme

# How to Make:

01 - In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium heat until crispy. Remove, crumble, and set aside. Discard most bacon fat, leaving about 1 teaspoon in the pot.
02 - Add onion and celery to the pot. Sauté for 3 to 4 minutes until softened. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
03 - Stir in diced potatoes, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and thyme. Pour in vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until potatoes are fork-tender.
04 - Using an immersion blender, partially blend the soup directly in the pot, leaving some chunks for texture. Alternatively, transfer half the soup to a blender, blend until smooth, then return to the pot.
05 - Stir in milk, Greek yogurt, and cheddar cheese. Heat gently until cheese is melted and soup is creamy. Do not boil. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
06 - Ladle soup into bowls. Top each serving with crumbled bacon, sliced green onions, and an extra sprinkle of cheddar if desired.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • It tastes like comfort food but won't leave you feeling weighed down afterward.
  • The whole thing comes together in under an hour, perfect for weeknight dinners or unexpected guests.
  • You can easily swap ingredients based on what you have or your dietary preferences.
02 -
  • Don't skip the partial blending step—a completely smooth soup tastes like baby food, but leaving chunks of potato is what makes people feel like they're actually eating something substantial.
  • If you add the cheese and yogurt while the soup is boiling, the dairy can break and the texture turns grainy instead of silky.
  • Taste the soup before serving because the potatoes and broth will have absorbed seasoning as it simmers, and you might need more salt than the recipe suggests.
03 -
  • Buy your potatoes a day ahead so they're cold when you dice them—cold potatoes release less starch, which means a cleaner broth.
  • If the soup breaks or becomes grainy after you add the dairy, strain it through a fine-mesh sieve and whisk in a splash of cold broth to bring it back together.
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