Description
Hearty pioneer woman slow cooker potato soup delivers comfort straight from midwestern kitchens. Creamy ingredients blend seamlessly, creating a warming meal packed with rich flavor and simple ingredients you’ll savor to the last spoonful.
Ingredients
Scale
- 6 slices bacon, chopped
- 2 lbs (907 g) russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 4 cups (960 ml) chicken stock
- ¾ cup (180 ml) sour cream, plus more for garnish
- 3 celery stalks, sliced
- 1 large leek, cleaned and chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- shredded cheddar cheese
- chopped chives
- reserved bacon
Instructions
- Bacon Preparation: Crisp bacon in a skillet over medium heat until golden and crunchy, about 6-8 minutes. Drain on paper towels, reserving crumbled pieces for garnish.
- Slow Cooker Assembly: Combine bacon crumbles, russet potatoes, celery, leek, garlic, chicken stock, kosher salt, thyme sprigs, and black pepper in a 6-8 quart slow cooker.
- Cooking Process: Set slow cooker to high for 4 hours or low for 6-8 hours until potatoes reach fork-tender consistency. Remove wilted thyme sprigs.
- Texture Refinement: Use immersion blender to create a creamy soup base, maintaining some potato chunks for rustic texture. Adjust consistency by adding water if needed.
- Final Touches: Fold in sour cream, ensuring smooth integration. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.
- Serving Presentation: Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish with sharp cheddar cheese, fresh chives, an additional sour cream dollop, and reserved bacon crumbles.
Notes
- Bacon Prep Tip: Cook bacon until perfectly crisp to enhance soup’s texture and flavor, ensuring maximum crunchiness and even browning.
- Slow Cooker Strategy: Choose high or low temperature setting based on your schedule, with careful monitoring of potato tenderness to prevent overcooking.
- Blending Balance: Use an immersion blender cautiously to maintain some potato chunks, creating a creamy yet rustic soup texture that feels homemade.
- Consistency Control: Adjust soup thickness by adding water gradually, preventing a too-dense or too-thin final result for optimal eating experience.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 hours
- Category: Dinner, Snacks
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 800 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 9 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 10 g
- Cholesterol: 40 mg