Despite the weather we had over the weekend, Fall is here in New England and I'm loving every bit of it! The changing leaves and crisp mornings have me craving comfort food. The best comfort food dishes are, without a doubt, the ones that are made with love by someone else – or at least made easily. Today, I'm sharing my recipe for Slow Cooker Potato Soup, inspired by my mom.
Crazy schedules with the kiddos back in school and my own work-from-home commitments leave me less and less time (and energy) time-consuming meals at the end of the day. That's what's so great about this soup – just pop everything in the slow cooker and dinner will be virtually ready to eat when you get home!
You can even start it the night before if you don't have a lot of time in the morning. For me, I like to cook the bacon in a heavy skillet or cast iron pan until crisp, then drain, cool completely, and refrigerate. I cook the onions and celery in a little of the rendered bacon fat. (I never said this was a healthy recipe!) It really adds a nice layer of flavor to the soup. Plus that way, all you need to do is get the kiddos to set the table while you pull the cooked bacon out of the fridge and give it a quick chop before serving up dinner!
- 6 cups reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- 4 slices bacon diced
- 2 tables reserved bacon fat
- 1 cup onion diced
- 1/2 cup celery diced
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 2 tsp dry mustard
- 2 tsp dried tarragon
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 4 cups red bliss potatoes diced
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 6 oz Gruyere cheese shredded
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The night before:
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Cook the diced bacon in a heavy skillet or cast iron skillet until crisp. Remove the bacon pieces with a slotted spoon to a paper-towel lined plate to cool.
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Reserve 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat. Reduce the heat to medium and add the onion and celery until tender. Add the minced garlic and cook 1 minute, then remove from heat.
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Add the chicken stock to the slow cooker and add the salt, white pepper, dry mustard, dried tarragon, and garlic powder. Whisk to combine. Add the potatoes.
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Store the soup mixture, covered, and the bacon pieces in an airtight bag or container in the refrigerator.
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On cooking day:
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Remove the soup mixture from the refrigerator and set the slow cooker on low. Cook for 6-8 hours.
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Before serving, uses an immersion blender to pulse the mixture, leaving some pieces of potato intact. Stir in the heavy cream and half the Gryuere cheese.
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Serve with crispy bacon pieces and additional cheese, as desired.
The best part of this Slow Cooker Potato Soup is the leftovers – there's always some left over at our house, and it makes a great lunch the next day! Try ladling the leftover soup into small mason jars, which store easily. Just take care when reheating as the glass can get very warm.
Love slow cooker meals? Try these other great recipes:
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