Family favourite potato soup

A bowl of hearty, cheesy goodness.

The house was cold this morning when I woke up. It’s the first night in a while that I've kept the comforter pulled up to my chin all night. There is a slight chill in the wind today, and it’s beginning to feel like fall. The fall decorating has started inside the house and the leaves are starting to turn ever so slightly outside.

It seemed like a good day to make a comforting bowl of soup. I first made this recipe in 1999 and it has remained a favourite ever since.

Family Favourite Potato Soup

Comforting flavours of bacon, potatoes and cheese in a thick broth.

Adapted from Best-Ever Potato Soup, Quick Cooking Jan/Feb 1999

Serves 6 to 8

• 6 strips of bacon, cut into thin slices

• 2 tsp butter

• 3 carrots, sliced thinly or grated

• 2 celery ribs, sliced thinly

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 1-2 cups cauliflower, chopped into bite-size pieces (optional)

• 3 cups peeled, cubed russet potatoes

• 2 cups chicken broth

• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour

• 3 cups whole milk (or you can use skim or almond milk or whatever your family’s preference is)

• 1-1½ cups of old cheddar cheese (medium is okay, too, but old will give more flavour and you can use less if you’re worried about fat/calories)

• Salt & pepper to taste

Crisp bacon in a large saucepan over medium-high heat and then drain off the bacon grease. (This can be saved for another use if you like). Set the bacon aside for now.

Add the butter to the saucepan and melt over medium heat. Add carrots, celery and onions and cauliflower if using. Cook for about 10 minutes or until vegetables are soft and onions are translucent.

If you are cooking for a dysphagia patient, you may wish to keep the bacon out and grind it until fine for easier swallowing. If not, add the bacon back to the saucepan with the vegetables. Add the seasonings, potatoes and broth and bring everything to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the potatoes and vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.

Put the flour into a bowl and add some of the milk. Whisk until smooth, watching that it doesn’t stick to the bottom. Add remaining milk and continue whisking until smooth. Stir the milk mixture into the soup. Bring the soup to a boil, stirring constantly until thick, about 2 minutes. Add the cheese and stir until melted.

Serving Suggestions

We love this soup served with fresh rolls and more cheese. A salad would be good, too. If you're not counting calories, or just really enjoy cheese, it's amazing with my Garlic Cheese Biscuits (again, to be posted soon!)

Verdict

Delicious as ever, and Dad found this very easy to eat because of the thick broth. The potatoes were well-cooked which helped and also thickened the soup. I sliced the carrots this time, but they could have been thinner and weren’t quite as well-cooked as they should have been. The same goes for the celery. Next time, I would grate the carrot and dice the celery really finely, rather than slicing it. I omitted the cauliflower this time, although it is delicious in this soup. Dad suggested I could try pureeing some ham, maybe along with the bacon, or perhaps instead of it. I may try that, although I still think the bacon brings an important flavour to the soup. Overall, always a family favourite and it was really nice that it didn’t have to be pureed for Dad to enjoy it.

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