Potatoes and vegetables in a creamy soup is my wife’s idea of comfort food. I don’t really disagree. Served with some fresh baked bread, it really does remind me of home.

I’m sure there are plenty of variations on potato soup and plenty of simple ways in which to make it. My original recipe was created from memory based on what my mother did. It usually included about 3 pounds of potatoes and a roux. Then one night I stumbled upon a recipe on the “Taste of Home” website that had the same basic structure but seemed a little easier and less time consuming than my original. The credit for that recipe is at the bottom, but this recipe is partially adapted from both my mother’s and the “Taste of Home” site with a few general tweaks along the way. It’s certainly become a favorite in the Campbell house.

Yield: approximately 3 quarts

Ingredients

• 1000 grams cubed peeled potatoes (about 5 cups)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 to 2 sticks celery, finely chopped
• 1 to 2 carrots, chopped
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 cups water
• 2 cups milk
• 4 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon pepper
• ¹⁄₄ cup all-purpose flour
• 4 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
• ¹⁄₂ pound sliced bacon, cooked and chopped (optional)

Cooking Instructions

Preparation

1. Cut 1000 grams of potatoes into ¹⁄₄ to ¹⁄₂ inch cubes

2. Finely chop 1 onion, 1 to 2 stickes of celery and 1 to 2 carrots

Cooking

1. In a large Dutch oven, saute chopped onion, chopped celery and chopped carrots in 4 tablespoons of butter until tender

2. Add cubed potatoes and 4 cups of water

3. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender

4. Stir ¹⁄₄ cup of flour into 2 cups of milk and stir until smooth

5. Stir 4 teaspoons of chicken bouillon, 1 teaspoon of salt and ¹⁄₂ teaspoon of ground black pepper into milk mixture, stirring until smooth

6. Stir milk and seasoning mixture into soup and mix well

7. Bring soup back to a boil and stir until thickened to desired consistency

8. Remove from heat and add 4 ounces of shredded cheddar cheese and up to ¹⁄₂ pound of bacon

9. Stir until cheese is melted into soup.

Notes

Adapted from Taste of Home’s Cheddar Cheese Potato Soup

Revision: 2024-04-28