Creamy Bacon Potato Soup!

It’s a simple, cool weather classic! It’s absolutely delicious and naturally gluten free! Make this creamy bacon, potato soup when you need some true comfort food!

This week, my son, Silas had an incident involving legos. Despite being told to never put them in his mouth, he attempted to pry two tight-fitting pieces apart using his front teeth. In the last month, he lost his first 2 teeth! (the bottom front two). They had started to come in, but no other teeth were wiggly so far. …that is until …The Incident.

The lego in question slipped, pushing one of his new permanent teeth back down into his gum. That tooth hit the baby tooth next door, knocking it loose, prematurely and (according to the x-ray) hurt its root as well. To make matters worse, he even didn’t succeed in separating the legos! One emergency visit to the Dentist later and we have orders to give him only soft foods for the next week!

And that’s the graphic story of how this incredibly delicious soup wound up on today’s menu! (are you hungry yet?)

Let’s start with the cast of characters:

You’ll need Veggies (I used Celery, Carrots, Onions and Red Potatoes)

You’ll need Bacon (I added chunks of ham too!)

You’ll also need some liquid (I used chicken broth and lactose free milk, which isn’t pictured here!)

Don’t forget the salt and pepper!

Start by chopping up your bacon! Cut it into small pieces and throw them into a pot. Cook the bacon on med-high until it’s about 3/4 of the way done! (not quite crispy)

 

 

Scoop the bacon pieces out and set them to the side.

Leave the bacon grease behind in the pot. This will give huge flavor to your soup! Go ahead and pour in 1 32oz carton of chicken broth. (I use the swanson’s brand usually, but it’s always good to double-check your label to make sure it’s GF!)

Next, start chopping your veggies!

 

For this soup, I chopped what I had on hand. I used 1 large onion, 1/2 a bag of baby carrots, and 4 stalks of celery.

I also added 3 cloves of garlic (chopped tiny!), and 5 large red potatoes.

I love the flavor and thin skin of red potatoes. They cut easily and cook quickly! I cut mine nice and thin to help them cook even quicker!

 

As you chop your veggies, go ahead and throw them into the big pot. Add another 1 1/2 cups of water and 1 tablespoon of salt to the pot and give it a stir.

 

Let everything cook on medium high for about 30 minutes ~~(I turned mine off and ran to the grocery to pick up chunks of cooked ham and lactose free milk) When I returned, I turned it back on Medium for a few (10) min and continued.~~

Turn it down to simmer/low and allow let it continue to cook for another 20 minutes. By this time,  everything should be fabulously tender! Give it a taste and add a bit of salt and pepper if you like

If you like your soup chunky and robust, you can stop right here and serve it! But as I said, I’ve got a kiddo who needs smooth and creamy foods this week. I added 1 cup of lactose free whole milk

***If you want it even Creamier and Dreamier, add 1/2 a block of cream cheese (about 4oz) in chunks. You can also upgrade to half n half or heavy cream if you are feeling naughty!***

I love our handy-dandy immersion mixer. With it, I carefully smoothed out all of the chunky bits! If you don’t have one of these tools in your kitchen, you can use any mixer to blend it soft!

Here’s what mine looked like when it was done:

You can top it with shredded cheese or even chopped green onions if you like!

 

Ready to serve!

Here is the recipe again… in super fast form:

You need:
5 red potatoes
1 large yellow onion
1/2 bag baby carrots
4 stalks of celery
3 cloves of garlic
bacon 6 thick slices
chicken broth (32oz carton)
milk (lactose free whole milk for us)
salt and pepper
*optional-cream cheese
*optional-chunks of ham

In a large pot cook your chopped bacon pieces. Set to the side.
Chop all veggies, thin and small.
Add broth to the pot. Add chopped veggies and bacon.
Cook Med-High for 30-45 min.
Turn down to low/simmer and cook another 20 min til
everything is very tender! (*add ham and simmer)
Add milk (*add cream cheese in chunks)
Use immersion blender or electric mixer to make soup smooth!
Serve hot, sprinkled with shredded cheese!

Finally, accept the thunderous applause and thank you’s from anyone you serve this to. They will love it!

 

Thank you for reading!

I can’t wait to hear what you think! Let me know in the comments below how your soup turns out!