Loaded Potato Soup

Our family has a "souper bowl party" every year with all kinds of soups and this one always goes first.

My family really enjoys this soup -- even my teenage son who doesn't like soup in general. We add a little garlic with the potatoes and onion in the slow cooker. I do not have an immersion blender, but I have used my hand held mixer to blend it up quickly instead of the potato masher.

We love this soup! And for those of us who decide we want potato soup at the last minute, this is easily prepared by boiling the potatoes first with the onion, drain in a strainer, add them back to the pot and mash slightly. Add broth, salt & pepper, simmer for about 30. Mash some more if you want to. Stir in the half & half, bring it back to warm, serve!

This was delicious and so easy. I served it atop bread bowls, and it made a very hearty meal. I made a few minor tweaks to the recipe--used regular potatoes instead of new potatoes and didn't peel them, added about 4 Tbs. of butter just after the half-and-half, and used an immersion blender instead of a potato masher. I had sour cream, shredded cheddar, crumbled bacon, and snipped chives as toppings.

We absolutely love this soup!! It is great to put the ingredients in the crock pot and supper is ready!! I followed the recipe exactly and it is perfect. The first time I used an immersion blender and the second time I used a potato masher and it is great both ways (smooth or a little chunky). We are having it tonight with ham and cheese paninis! Can't wait...

This has become a regular in my slow-cooker rotation. We set up a topping bar, just like we would for baked potatoes, including everything from broccoli and cheese to bacon. It is terrific paired with a hearty sandwich on a busy night.

My picky eaters love this easy recipe and request it a lot!