St. Patricks Loaded Potato Soup (Printable Version)

A creamy, comforting soup featuring loaded baked potato flavors with a lighter twist and savory toppings.

# What You'll Need:

→ 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 - 0.5 cup plain Greek yogurt, 2% or nonfat

→ Cheeses

08 - 0.5 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 - 0.5 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
12 - 0.5 tsp freshly ground black pepper
13 - 0.25 tsp smoked paprika
14 - 0.25 tsp dried thyme

# Steps to Follow:

01 - In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat until crispy. Remove, crumble, and set aside. Discard most bacon fat, leaving approximately 1 teaspoon in the pot.
02 - Add onion and celery to the pot. Sauté for 3-4 minutes until softened. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 additional minute.
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 15-20 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 reaches creamy consistency—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 cheese if desired.

# Additional Tips::

01 -
  • It tastes indulgent and creamy but won't leave you feeling weighed down for the rest of the day.
  • You can have a warming, restaurant-quality soup ready in under an hour, which means more time with people you actually want to spend time with.
  • The partial blending keeps it rustic and interesting instead of turning into baby food, which honestly changes everything.
02 -
  • Never blend all the soup until it's completely smooth—the chunks of potato are what make this feel like loaded baked potato soup instead of just potato puree.
  • If you add the dairy and cheese over high heat, they can break and separate, leaving you with a grainy, broken soup that tastes thin and disappointing no matter how much you stir.
03 -
  • Cook your bacon in the soup pot first so all that flavor stays right where you need it instead of getting lost in a separate pan.
  • Taste and adjust your seasoning just before serving, because the salt becomes more concentrated as the soup simmers and you don't want to oversalt early and regret it later.
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