potato soup Archives - The Midnight Baker

Copycat Panera Baked Potato Soup

Judith Hannemann — Wed, 30 Nov 2016 00:00:28 +0000

Do you love Panera’s baked potato soup? Then you’ll love this copycat version! It’s so rich and creamy!

Soup Season Is Here

It’s turned very nippy here. Lots of wind, misty rain and dull days.

Looking on the bright side, it’s the perfect weather for soup!

Lately, I’ve found myself preferring soup, salad and crusty rolls for dinner rather than the usual meat-and-potatoes deal.

Rich But Light

While this heading may seem paradoxical, it really isn’t.

This baked potato soup has a rich taste, but at the same time, it’s very light. It relies primarily on the taste of a good chicken stock, tangy cream cheese and a bit of bacon for flavor.

With cream, cream cheese and chicken stock, this wouldn’t convert to a vegan recipe all that easily, but it can be made meat free for lacto-vegetarians by using a good veggie stock and eliminating the bacon. For a bacony flavor, some of the vegetarian soy-based bacon isn’t too bad so you might want to consider using some of that if you desire a smoky flavor in the soup.

Many Versions Of The Same

You will doubtless find many similar recipes for Panera’s Baked Potato Soup on the web.

They all are good and will only differ most times by one or two ingredients or amounts of those ingredients. I based this recipe off of Stephanie’s recipe on Copycat Recipes as it aligned more closely with my tastes. However, I like more creaminess in a soup and I like these types of soups a bit thicker, so I altered her amounts of butter and flour. And of course, I love bacon, so more of that was added!

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The Recipe

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Copycat Panera Baked Potato Soup

Do you love Panera’s baked potato soup? Then you’ll love this copycat version! It’s so rich and creamy!

Prep Time20

Cook Time30

Total Time50

Course: soups

Cuisine: American

Keyword: baked potato, potato soup

Servings: 6 -8

Calories: 307kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

4 cups unsalted chicken stock
3 tsp chicken base I use Better Than Bouillon
4 large potatoes peeled & diced into 1-inch cubes
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 clove garlic minced
1/4 cup flour
4 tbsp butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 oz cream cheese cut in cubes
1/4 cup chopped chives
1/3 cup diced cooked bacon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Instructions

Place potatoes, chicken stock and chicken base in a large pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.
In another large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, until onion is translucent and aromatic, about 5 minutes.
Using a wire whisk, whisk in the flour gradually so no lumps form. Let this "paste" bubble for about 1 minute.
Gradually add the stock/potato mixture, stirring well so no lumps form. Cook until liquid thickens, about 5 or so minutes.
Add the cream and the cream cheese and stir until cream cheese is melted.
Season with the salt and pepper. Add the cooked bacon and chopped chives; heat through.

Nutrition

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Totally Loaded Potato Soup

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 12 Oct 2013 23:00:00 +0000

Totally Loaded Potato Soup

This soup is a meal, baby.

All I could think about when I got back from Montana was eating soup. Potato soup in particular. And this potato soup.

OK, it’s a little bit of a pain to make, but trust me, IT’S WORTH IT.

I use a nice well-aged Provolone for the gorgeous flavor it imparts. You don’t need much. A little dab will do ya here. Smoked Provolone is very good too.

Eats like a meal

And if at all possible, use *fresh* herbs. It makes it taste so much better. I grow all my own and overwinter them in little pots (with the help of a CFL full-spectrum bulb). This way I always have fresh right at my disposal!

This soup is loaded with fat and calories, be warned. I wouldn’t even try to make it “healthy,” as it would lose a lot in the translation. Just make it a rare indulgence and keep it real.

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Totally Loaded Potato Soup

Loaded potato soup is the perfect hearty lunch or dinner a cold day!

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: baked potato, loaded potato soup

Servings: 8 cups

Calories: 462kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

6 cups potatoes peeled & cubed (about 6 med-large)
1 medium onion chopped
3 cloves garlic minced
3 ribs celery diced
4 cups chicken stock
3 tbs fresh basil coarsely chopped (about 3-4 large leaves)**
3 slices thick-cut bacon diced
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 cup shredded provolone or smoked provolone
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese preferably white
2 cups milk heavy cream, light cream, or half & half*
2/3 cup flour
4 tbs butter

Garnish:

1/2 cup fresh parsley chopped
4 slices cooked bacon diced or crumbled
2 green onions finely sliced
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese preferably yellow

Instructions

Over medium heat in a large pot or dutch oven, cook bacon until brown and crisp. Remove from pot and set aside. Do not drain pan. You are using the bacon fat for flavoring.
Add the onion, celery and garlic. Cook until onion is soft and translucent.
Add the stock, basil, reserved bacon, potatoes, salt and white pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a low simmer and cook for about 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.
In a separate small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Gradually whisk in the flour, making sure there are no lumps. Continue stirring the butter/flour combination (this is a roux) for about 3-5 minutes until it smells a bit "toasted."
Whisking constantly, gradually add the cream, very slowly, making sure there are no lumps and mixture is smooth. Cook for about 2 minutes, until cream is hot and mixture is thick.
Whisk the cream mixture into the stock/potato mixture. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Remove about half of the soup and puree in a blender or Ninja. Add the pureed soup back to the pot. Heat through.
Stir in the cheeses and remove from heat. Partially cover the pot and let it sit for about 5 minutes to melt the cheeses.
Stir again and serve, topping each bowl with a good amount of each garnish ingredient heaped in the center.

Notes

*I used a combination of heavy cream and whole milk, maybe 3/4 heavy cream to 1/4 milk.

** The fresh basil may be substituted with 1 tsp dehydrated.

Nutrition

Totally Loaded Potato Soup

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Cream of Ham & Potato Soup

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 05:00:00 +0000

Cream of Ham & Potato Soup

This cream soup is absolute perfection. No one ever believes how easy it actually is and how little time it takes to make

I came by this method from an old friend who has long since moved out of the area. She was a cook in a very popular local diner and was known all over the county for her delicious soups.

Lori R. never relied upon canned ANYTHING to prepare a soup. In fact, she told me the base of this soup is the same for every other cream soup she made, which included Cream of Chicken, New England Clam Chowder, Cream of Broccoli with Cheese, etc. All she did was change up the herbs and spices to suit each individual variety.

So easy to make!

The soup is a cornstarch-thickened base. Therefore, it’s best served the day it’s made. Not that it isn’t delicious reheated–it is, but the soup will not be as thick as when it was prepared.

Lori, of course, was a devotee of heavy cream for her soups, but did admit that you could go down to half and half if you wanted to do so, but never EVER use milk, even whole milk, and that it would be an “insult to the soup” to ever use low-fat or skim milk. She’s right there, although I don’t often use heavy cream. I will use light cream or half and half. Tastes fine.

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Cream of Ham & Potato Soup

This cream soup is absolute perfection. No one ever believes how easy it actually is and how little time it takes to make

Prep Time20

Cook Time20

Total Time40

Course: soups

Cuisine: American

Keyword: creamy soup, ham, potato soup

Servings: 4

Calories: 480kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 small onion chopped
1 cup celery diced
4 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp black pepper
3 cups water or any stock but beef
2 medium potatoes well scrubbed and cut in chunks--leave skin ON
1 cup thickly diced ham
1/2 cup cornstarch
3/4 cup water
1 cup heavy cream light cream or half and half cream
salt to taste*

Instructions

In a deep, heavy saucepan, melt butter over medium heat and add the onions, celery and basil.
Saute until the celery and onions are just beginning to get tender. Add the water/stock, the potatoes, ham and the pepper. Cook until potatoes are tender.
Mix the cornstarch (the amount is not a typo) with the 3/4 cup water.
Slowly add enough of the cornstarch/water mixture (you may not have to add it all, do it in small steps) to produce a VERY THICK mixture. The spoon should practically stand up in this. It should be the consistency of a very thick pudding. Stir constantly until the mixture bubbles.
GRADUALLY add cream, stirring constantly, to thin the soup out to the desired consistency. You may have to use MORE cream, depending on the desired thickness. I like mine thick, like stew, so the 1 cup of cream works well. Your mileage may vary.
*Add salt if you feel it needs some.
Heat through (do not boil) and serve with a salad or crusty roll. This one's a meal folks, not a starter!!

Nutrition

Cream of Ham & Potato Soup

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