Slow-cooker Baked Potato Soup
January 27th, 2010 by Beth
After a long blogging hiatus, I’m back. While I haven’t been blogging regularly, I’ve been tracking my kitchen adventures and have a number of fun recipes to share.
In the dead of winter, nothing is better than a warm, hearty bowl of soup. Panera’s Baked Potato soup is a favorite of mine, so I was intrigued when I saw a copycat recipe on A Year of Slow-cooking. While the flavor differs somewhat from the original, this soup is smooth, creamy and rich… the perfect meal for a cold winter’s night.
Honestly, it doesn’t get much easier than this. I find potato soups very messy when cooked on the stove – you need to make sure that things don’t boil over or stick to bottom of the pan, and clean-up is a pain. With this recipe, you just throw everything in the slow-cooker and walk away.
Beware: this recipe makes a lot of soup – easily 10 generous servings. The soup is so tasty, you probably won’t mind an abundance of leftovers. 
It filled my 6 quart Crock Pot with only about an inch to spare, so make sure you use a 6-quart or larger slow-cooker if you choose to make a full batch.
Slow-cooker Baked Potato Soup
Yields 10 servings
5 lbs potatoes, peeled and diced in 1 to 2-inch chunks
1 small onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
2 quarts chicken broth
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese
optional garnishes: crumbled bacon, green onion, chives, shredded cheddar cheese
1. After peeling and dicing potatoes, place them in the slow-cooker (use 6-quart or larger). Add onion, garlic, seasonings and broth.
2. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for four hours.
3. Once potatoes are fork-tender, use a masher to mash the potatoes.
4. Break up both packages of cream cheese and add to slow-cooker. Put the cover back on.
5. Cook on high for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Once cream cheese is completely dissolved, serve with desired garnishes.
Tags: Potato
March 1st, 2010 at 10:31 am
I’ve made this twice and the whole family really liked it. The first time, I followed the recipe exactly, and the second time, I added some broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots and cut down on the potatoes. (Trying to get my kids to eat more veggies). With the added veggies, the soup really looks terrible until you add the cream cheese and then it all comes together. This tasted really good with a dollop of creme fraiche on top (but what doesn’t?) and some chives.
March 12th, 2010 at 12:59 pm
I’m glad that you like the soup, Kelly. I really like your idea of adding vegetables in place of potatoes – I’ll have to try that next time!