St Patricks Loaded Potato Soup (Print Version)

Creamy soup with loaded baked potato flavors made lighter for a cozy, comforting meal.

# Components:

→ Potatoes

01 - 1.5 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced

→ Vegetables

02 - 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
03 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 2 stalks celery, diced

→ Liquids

05 - 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
06 - 1 cup low-fat milk
07 - 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

→ Cheese

08 - 1/2 cup reduced-fat shredded sharp cheddar cheese

→ Toppings

09 - 4 slices turkey bacon or center-cut bacon, cooked and crumbled
10 - 2 green onions, thinly sliced

→ Seasonings

11 - 1/2 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
12 - 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
13 - 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
14 - 1/4 tsp dried thyme

# Directions:

01 - Cook bacon in a large soup pot over medium heat until crispy. Remove and crumble, setting aside. Discard most bacon fat, leaving approximately 1 teaspoon in the pot.
02 - Add chopped onion and diced celery to the pot. Sauté for 3 to 4 minutes until softened. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 additional minute.
03 - Stir in diced potatoes, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and thyme. Pour in vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 15 to 20 minutes until potatoes are fork-tender.
04 - Using an immersion blender, partially blend the soup directly in the pot, leaving some chunks for desired texture. Alternatively, transfer half the soup to a blender, blend until smooth, and return to the pot.
05 - Stir in milk, Greek yogurt, and cheddar cheese. Heat gently until cheese melts and soup reaches creamy consistency without boiling. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
06 - Ladle soup into bowls. Top each serving with crumbled bacon, sliced green onions, and additional cheddar cheese if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It tastes indulgent and loaded with bacon and cheese, but won't leave you feeling weighed down for the rest of the day.
  • The partial blending technique gives you creamy soup with actual texture—no bland, smooth-everywhere soup here.
  • You can have it ready in under an hour, which means weeknight dinners suddenly feel fancy.
02 -
  • Don't boil the soup after adding Greek yogurt—if it gets too hot, the yogurt will separate and you'll end up with a grainy, broken texture instead of that silky creaminess.
  • The immersion blender is genuinely your friend here; trying to hand-mash the potatoes or transfer everything to a regular blender feels like extra work, and the partial blending gives you that special texture that sets this apart from typical potato soups.
03 -
  • Taste your soup before adding the green onions—that fresh hit of flavor should be the last thing that surprises your palate, so it's worth seasoning the soup itself accurately first.
  • If your soup seems too thick, don't panic—stir in milk or broth a little at a time until you get the consistency you want, because it's much easier to thin than to thicken.
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