Baked Potato Soup With Bacon, Green Onion & Cheddar

By Alqualonde

If you don't have them already prepared, bake the potatoes and fry the bacon before starting this recipe.

Ingredients

• 8 tablespoons (1 cup) unsalted butter
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 8 cups whole milk
• 5 large potatoes, baked and cubed (peeled, if desired)
• 2 pounds bacon, cooked and crumbled (about 2 cups)
• 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 cups sour cream
• 1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 1 clove garlic, minced (optional)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Details

Adapted from thekitchn.com

Preparation

Step 1

Melt the butter in the bottom of a large pot over medium-high heat. Add flour and whisk to combine until thickened. Whisking continuously, slowly pour in the milk and whisk until mixture is smooth. Be sure to get the corners of the pan.

Add all of the remaining ingredients and lower the heat to medium. Stir occasionally until the cheese is melted and the soup is warmed through. Be sure to scrape bottom of the pot as you stir so the soup doesn't burn.

Serve when warm and enjoy!

Additional notes:
• On using sliced bacon: You can of course start by using sliced bacon and can even hold onto the rendered fat, substituting it for part of the butter called for in the soup recipe. Just reduce your butter accordingly and add it right in.

• On pre-baking your potatoes: Since this recipe uses potatoes that are already baked, you might want to toss a few in the oven the night before to bake them off ahead of time. Baked, they'll keep in the fridge for a week (easily), so dinner can be ready to go any night of the week!