Loaded Baked Potato Soup {with a Sweet Surprise!}

Loaded Baked Potato Soup is one of my top five favorite “30-minute Meals.” Fast, economical, and super-easy, this recipe has a sweet surprise that elevates the flavors and results in a perfectly balance bowl of comforting deliciousness.

^{This post may contain affiliate links, but don’t worry – they won’t bite.}

Loaded Baked Potato Soup is one of my top five favorite “30-minute Meals” – and this one I’ll even serve to company!

“Oh, you’ll be here in half an hour? And you’re starving? No problem!”

The first time I made this soup was when my girls were young and they unexpectedly brought home a few extra friends for dinner. We never turn away a hungry kid, but I had barely enough potatoes to begin with, and so I wasn’t sure we would have enough soup to go all around. I did, however, have a sweet potato, so I threw that into my baked potato soup instead.

Oh, my! What a difference that little sweet potato made! I’ll never make baked potato soup without one again!

Fast, economical, and straightforward, this delicious, easy-to-make Baked Potato Soup has a chowder-like consistency and a sweet surprise on the ingredient list. Check it out!

Loaded Baked Potato Soup: Ingredient Notes

Russet Potatoes

It is important to use and Idaho, Russet or other “starchy” type potatoes for this soup. The Russet has a neutral flavor and high starch content, which gives it a creamy, soft texture that breaks down easily. This all makes them the perfect choice for making a creamy soup like this one.

I have also successfully made this Baked Potato Soup with Yukon Gold potatoes, but the soup required a little more “mashing” than usual to achieve the desired consistency. (See Recipe Notes)

DO NOT USE waxy potato varieties (e.g., red potatoes, new potatoes, fingerling, etc.) for this recipe. Waxy potatoes have a low starch content and have a creamy, firm flesh that holds its shape well after cooking. They do not break down easily when cooked, resulting in a thin, bodiless soup.

White Sweet Potatoes

Bottom Line: Use white sweet potatoes for this recipe.

What’s the difference between orange and white sweet potatoes anyway? (And my Gramma told me the orange ones were yams. Are you contradicting my Gramma?)

I don’t know about you, but I grew up calling orange fleshed sweet potatoes “yams.” However, as I have since learned, it is nearly impossible to find true yams is the United States. Most of the tubers we were fed as children and told were yams were really sweet potatoes. It’s true.

OK, now that we’ve cleared that up, here’s the scoop on the differences between orange and white sweet potatoes.

While sweet potatoes around the world come in many different colors – brown, red, yellow, white, even purple – in the United States, nearly all of our sweet potatoes fall into two categories: [1] golden skin with creamy white flesh, and [2] brown or copper skin with an orange flesh.

Orange sweet potatoes are the heroes of holiday side dishes everywhere. They have a sweet, smooth, soft texture. White sweet potatoes, on the other hand, have a milder flavor and crumblier texture when cooked.

FYI Classroom Teachers: While I was preparing this post, I ran across these nifty (and free) Sweet Potato related STEM resources offered by the The North Carolina Sweet Potato Commission.

Garlic

This is for all you cooks who habitually double the garlic in a recipe (I see you). You (i.e., We) are the reason this recipe recipe only calls for one clove of garlic instead of two. One large or two average-sized cloves are perfect, but if I put “2 cloves of garlic” in the ingredient list, someone is going to make this soup with four cloves instead, which is way too much – it simply overpowers everything.

All that being said, if you like a garlicky soup, you can safely add one more clove, for a total of two cloves of garlic.

5 from 4 votes

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

This Loaded Baked Potato Soup is fast, easy, and de-licious!

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Total Time30 mins

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bacon, onions, potatoes

Servings: bowls

Calories: 217kcal

Author: Renée ♥ The Good Hearted Woman

Equipment

Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven

Ingredients

1 large sweet onion chopped 1/4"
4 ounces raw bacon chopped into 1/4" pieces
1 1/2 - 2 pounds russet potatoes about 3 large, peeled and cubed 1/2"
8 ounce white sweet potato peeled and cubed 1/2"
3 cups chicken broth
1 cloves garlic minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
1 cup half & half
dash hot sauce
freshly ground pepper

Garnish | Serve on Side

additional bacon bits
sliced green onions
freshly chopped tomatoes
grated cheddar cheese
sour cream

Instructions

Heat a cast iron Dutch oven or other heavy stockpot over medium heat until a drop of water sizzles on the surface. Add the chopped bacon pieces and stir with a wooden spoon to distribute in the pot. Cook bacon pieces over medium heat until bacon pieces are crispy. Turn off heat.
Remove bacon from pot using a slotted spoon and set aside.
Turn heat up to medium-high. Add the chopped onions to the hot bacon fat and sauté until translucent. Add minced garlic and sauté for an additional minute.
Add chicken broth, chopped potatoes, salt, ground pepper, and hot sauce (optional). You should have just enough liquid to barely come to the top of the potatoes. (Add a little more broth or water if you need to.)
Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15-20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender but not too mushy.
Add half & half and reserved bacon bits. Stir over low heat until soup is heated through. Remove from heat.
To thicken the soup slightly, use a potato masher to break up potatoes just a bit. Remember though, this is Baked Potato Soup, not Mashed Potato Soup, so don't get carried away!
Serve with green onions, grated cheese, bacon bits, grated cheese and sour cream on the side.

Notes

Baked Potato Soup is delicious directly off the stove, and can be eaten immediately. However, as with most soups, it's even better the next day!

Vegetarian Option

Substitute:

+ 2 Butter (for bacon)
+ 3 cup vegetable broth (for chicken broth)

Start at Step 2.

TIP: Bacon is way easier to chop small if it is slightly frozen.

Nutrition

Tried this recipe?Mention @TheGoodHeartedWoman or tag #thegoodheartedwoman!

THANK YOU so much for being a faithful reader and supporter
of The Good Hearted Woman. 🌻 Be sure to PIN this post!

^{Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that we have recommended. While clicking these links won’t cost you any extra money, they do help keep this site up and running. As always, all opinions and images are my own. Please check out our disclosure policy for more details. Thank you for your support!}

Originally published November 9, 2012.

Old-Fashioned Ham Bone Split Pea Soup {Slow Cooker}

June 6 By Renée ♥ 17 Comments

It may not be the prettiest of soups, but Old-fashioned Ham Bone Split Pea Soup is always dependably hearty, comforting, and easy on the budget. Oh, and it’s delicious, too!

Old-fashioned Ham Bone Split Pea Soup
[Look for my Sweet Skillet Cornbread and Pan-fried Maple Corn recipe later this month]

As you may have noticed, at least half the recipe content here on GHW is devoted to what I like to call “reasonably healthy and/or slightly lighter comfort food.” Within that category, if there is one thing I am known for making well, it is Soup.

When my kids were growing up, I made soup almost every week (Souper-Tuesday, anyone?!), and got quite adept at creating new and unique combinations. Soup – always an easy, economical way to repurposed leftovers – was also often the way I introduced new cuisines and foods to my kids.

^{This post may contain affiliate links, but don’t worry – they won’t bite.}

When you create a soup using the “handful of this, pinch of that” seat-of-your-pants method, you sometimes make a dud now and then, but the real problem arises when you make something wonderful, because it can be almost impossible to replicate it.

THEM: “Hey Mom, remember that new soup you made last month? The one with the eggplant and the weird licorice onions? Can you make that again?”

ME: “Um… Sure???”

So I’ve been working harder at documenting my soup recipes, starting with the traditional soups I’ve adapted from my mother’s kitchen.

Hearty, comforting, and always delicious, Old-fashioned Ham Bone Split Pea Soup has been one of my favorites since I was a child, when my mom used to make it for us in the week following every “ham holiday” (i.e., Easter, Christmas, etc.). I’ve made this particular soup four or five times a year for the last few decades, so I have this recipe nailed down pat!

I won’t call this recipe Completely fool-proof, because there is always that one cook… However, barring anyone who might try to substitute Skittles for split peas, this recipe is as close to fool-proof as you’re ever going to find.

How to Make Old-Fashioned Split Pea Soup in a Slow Cooker

[Scroll down for ingredients and printable recipe]

1. Rinse peas and combine with remaining ingredients in slow cooker.

2. Give everything a quick stir, and then set slow cooker to HIGH and cook 4-6 hours. (I usually stir it about halfway through.)

3. After cooking for 4-6 hours, the meat on the ham-bone should be falling apart. Reduce the slow cooker to LOW. Using tongs or an extra-large serving spoon, carefully remove ham bone to a plate to cool.

4. When the ham bone is cool enough to handle, remove any ham and return the meat to the soup. Discard the ham bone.

5. Adjust seasonings to taste and serve.

That is literally all there is to it! If you follow the directions and use the ingredients as directed, this recipe is virtually fool-proof.

IMPORTANT INGREDIENT NOTE: The type of ham bone you use will determine the underlying flavor profile of your soup. If you use a honey or glazed ham bone, your soup will be slightly sweeter. If you use a smoked ham bone (or ham hock), your soup will taste more smokey. Personally, I prefer my split pea soup on the sweet side, but it really is just a matter of personal preference.

5 from 6 votes

Old-fashioned Ham Bone Split Pea Soup

Old-fashioned Ham Bone Split Pea Soup is always dependably hearty, comforting, and easy on the budget. Oh, and it's delicious, too!

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time4 hrs

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: split pea soup

Servings: servings

Calories: 220kcal

Author: Renée ♥ The Good Hearted Woman