Easy, Creamy, and Gluten-Free!
This loaded potato soup for the crockpot (slow cooker) is easy to make, full of flavor, and gluten-free. Each serving is topped with generous amounts of sour cream, shredded cheddar, crispy bacon, and sliced green onions for a real loaded potato experience!
If you are a fan of bacon, you’re really going to love this soup. One of the ways we’re going to develop flavor is by sautéing the chopped onions and minced garlic in some of the bacon drippings.
Choosing Fresh Potatoes
When looking for the freshest potatoes, choose those that:
- Are firm to the touch
- Have smooth, unwrinkled skin
- Are free of large cracks or bruises
- Are free of sprouts or green patches
Storing Potatoes for Prolonged Freshness
Potatoes stay fresh longer when stored in a cool, dark, ventilated area. Consider a pantry or basement but avoid refrigeration.
Even though storing potatoes in your refrigerator might seem to fit the bill, it is too cold. The low temperatures can change their flavor and overall texture.
In addition, potatoes and onions should be stored separately. While they seem like good mates, onions emit a gas that causes potatoes to spoil more quickly.
Fun Facts about Potatoes
- There are over 4,000 varieties of potatoes.
- A potato is high in vitamin C and has twice the potassium of a banana.
- Potatoes are the world’s third most important food crop (after rice and wheat).
- In 1767, Benjamin Franklin attended a dinner hosted by King Louis XIV and Antoine Parmentier to popularize potatoes in France. Only dishes with potatoes were served – twenty different ones.
- The potato was the first food grown in space.
Crockpot Loaded Potato Soup
If you love loaded potatoes, then you’re going to love this soup! Every bowlful is brimming with outstanding flavor for a real loaded potato experience. And then to top it off, each serving is topped with generous amounts of sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, crispy bacon crumbles, and sliced green onions.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 6-8 hrs LOW or 3-4 hrs HIGH
- Total Time: 6 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4-6
Ingredients
6 slices bacon
1 onion, peeled and chopped
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
5 medium russet potatoes – well-scrubbed, unpeeled, and cut into large cubes
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
5 cups chicken stock
1 cup light cream
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded – divided
gluten-free sour cream for optional garnish
green onions, sliced for optional garnish
Instructions
1. Cook: In a large skillet, cook the bacon until crispy. Place on a paper towel-lined plate to cool. When the strips of bacon have cooled, crumble them into pieces for garnish. Drain off all but about 2 tablespoons of the bacon drippings from the skillet.
2. Sauté: Add the chopped onion to the skillet with the bacon drippings and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Then add the minced garlic and cook 1 more minute.
3. Combine: In a 6-quart crockpot (slow cooker), combine the cubed potatoes, sautéed onions and garlic, salt, white pepper, and chicken stock.
4. Cook: With the lid on, cook for 6-8 hours on LOW or 3-4 hours on HIGH.
5. Lightly blend or mash: When cooking it complete and the potatoes are tender, use an immersion blender to lightly “mash” the potatoes to desired chunkiness.
6. Dissolve: In an oversized or 2 cup measuring cup, add the light cream and whisk in the cornstarch. Mix until cornstarch has dissolved.
7. Stir in: Add this cream mixture to the crockpot and stir to combine.
8. Cook: Cover with lid and cook on LOW for 30 more minutes.
9. Stir in cheese: Stir in 1 cup of the shredded cheddar cheese. (Use the rest for garnish.)
10. Add toppings: When the cheese has melted, ladle the soup into bowls. Top with sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, bacon crumbles, and sliced green onions.
