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Closeup of potato soup.
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4.92 from 25 votes

Old Fashioned Loaded Potato Soup Recipe

An easy and delicious cheesy potato soup recipe with simple ingredients that comes together in one pot! This copycat Outback Steakhouse soup is loaded with bacon and creamy potato goodness, this is a favorite comfort food at our house.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: First course, Hearty soup
Cuisine: American
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 629kcal

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds Red potatoes (thin skinned) baby size - you can buy them in 1.5 pound bags. You'll need 2 bags
  • 8 ounces bacon uncooked - dices (this is ½ package)
  • 1 cup Sweet onion about ½ large onion
  • ½ cup Carrots (sliced) about 3-4 carrots
  • 6 cups Whole milk
  • 3 cups Chicken broth
  • 2 Tablespoons Seasoning salt
  • ¾ cup Butter (salted) (1-½ sticks butter) if using unsalted taste finish soup to check the seasoning.
  • ¾ cup All-purpose flour
  • 1 cup Heavy whipping cream
  • 2 cups Sharp cheddar cheese shredded
  • Kosher salt and black pepper

Instructions

  • Rinse, cut and quarter potatoes, keeping the skin on.
  • Fill a deep pot with water and add the quartered potatoes. Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Drain the potatoes and set aside.
  • In a Dutch oven or sauté pan, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove the cooked bacon and crumble. Set aside. Drain the majority of the bacon grease, keeping enough to sauté the onions and carrots about 2-3 Tablespoons worth.
  • Dice the onions and slice the carrots.
  • Add the dices onions to the pot with the bacon grease, cook over medium heat. As the onions become translucent, add the sliced carrots and cook until tender. This should take a total of 5 minutes.
  • Add in the milk, chicken broth and seasoning and salt to the onion and carrots. Stir.
  • Cook for about 8 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring often, until mixture is very hot.
  • In a small sauce pan melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and mix well until bubbling to create a roux.
  • Temper the roux by adding a ladle of soup into the skillet. Stir until it's combined.
  • Slowly mix the roux into the soup and stir until thickened, about 4 minutes.
  • Stir in heavy whipping cream and shredded cheese until combined and melted.
  • Add the cooked potatoes and stir.
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Pour into individual bowls.
    Garnish with whatever you like, exactly as you'd prepared your loaded baked potato -- Sour cream, remaining bacon bits, parsley, green onions, more cheese. The sky is the limit here.
  • Eat right away.

Nutrition

Calories: 629kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 44g | Saturated Fat: 25g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 123mg | Sodium: 2151mg | Potassium: 961mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 2321IU | Vitamin C: 33mg | Calcium: 377mg | Iron: 2mg