Saturday, February 18, 2012

Loaded Baked Potato Soup for the Crock Pot

This my friends, is comfort food at it's very finest! It is rich, creamy, cheesey and oh so tasty! This is not in any way, shape or form healthy... you've been warned :) I found this recipe online at numerous websites and adjusted it to suit my tastes.
8 medium potatoes, peeled half way and diced in 1/2 inch pieces
1 small onion chopped
4 stalks of celery sliced
3 tsps chopped garlic
1/4 cup butter
sprinkle of salt
sprinkle of pepper
sprinkle of parsley
1 quart of chicken broth
1 cup of half and half (I used the fat free kind)
1 cup sour cream
8 slices of bacon, browned and crumbled
1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese shredded
3 TBSP chives
more cheese and croutons to garnish


Start by sauteing your onion and celery for a few minutes in some butter to soften it a bit.
This is what I mean by half peeled potatoes. Most potato soups call for peeled potatoes but I prefer to retain some of the nutrients.

Into your crock pot goes the broth, potatoes, onion, celery, garlic, butter, parsley, salt and pepper. Cook this for 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high.

Half an hour before it's done, add your chives, cream, cheese and sour cream.During this last half hour, fry up your bacon (I attempted turkey bacon.... ick). I chose to stir my bacon in but you could use it, along with some extra cheese and croutons to garnish. Enjoy!