Red Potato Soup

Who said a comfort food couldn’t also be bursting with flavor? This potato soup with red potatoes is about as comforting as a bowl of soup can get, but it’s also deeply flavorful thanks to ingredients like parsley, green onions, and of course the bacon. Red potato soup can be served as a side or a starter. A larger portion can also be a meal all on its own.

While this red potato soup recipe is a delight as-is, the soup also invites your own variations and additions, so consider this a starting point for some culinary exploring. You can try a spicy take, find vegetarian-friendly approaches, or enhance the veggies. As long as you have potatoes and cream mixed in a bowl, you’ll be doing it right.

Red Potato Soup Ingredients

• Red potatoes: This recipe calls for two-and-a-half pounds of unpeeled small red potatoes cut into 1-inch cubes. Just note that the volume of ingredients listed can make about 18 servings, so scale back for smaller groups.
• Onion: You’ll need one large onion, well chopped. A yellow onion is your best bet here.
• Celery: Use three large celery ribs, chopped well.
• Bacon: The chopped bacon strips (AKA rashers, FYI) should be cooked, but not crispy, so keep the heat on medium as you saute.
• Milk: Again, the eight cups of milk are part of an 18-serving recipe, so you may want/need to scale down!
• Water: The water creates a broth with a pleasant creamy taste but without a heavier chowder texture.
• Chicken bouillon: This can be replaced with veggie bouillon, but ideally stick with the chicken.
• Salt: If you’re watching your sodium, you can skip the salt, but it will be missed.
• Pepper: Start with 1/2 teaspoon of pepper and add more to taste.
• Butter: Cube the butter when it’s still cold from the fridge and set the cubes aside.
• All-purpose flour: All-purpose flour is a perfect soup thickener, especially when cooked with butter.
• Heavy whipping cream: Here’s where the soup truly gets the creaminess.
• Fresh parsley: Mince your fresh parsley to add a lot of flavor. Dried parsley is better than no parsley at all but you really want fresh here.
• Shredded cheddar cheese and chopped green onions: Last but hardly least, these soup toppers add lots of taste.

Directions

Step 1: Cook the potatoes

Place the cubed red potatoes in a saucepan and cover them with water. Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat, cover the pan and cook the potatoes for 10 to 12 minutes, or until they are tender. Drain the pot and set the cooked potatoes aside.

Step 2: Saute the veggies and bacon

In a Dutch oven or large pot, saute the onion,  celery and bacon until the vegetables are tender and the bacon is cooked. Drain the excess bacon fat, then add the milk, water, bouillon and salt and pepper. Heat the ingredients through, but do not bring things to a boil.

Step 3: Combine the remaining ingredients

In a large saucepan, melt the butter. Then stir in the flour, cooking and stirring until the mixture is smooth. Keep cooking and stirring over medium heat for one minute. Then gradually add the cream and bring the liquid to a boil. Cook and stir the butter, cream and flour mixture for one to two minutes or until the blend has thickened. Then, stir this mixture into the soup. Add the parsley and cooked potatoes and bring the soup to a simmer, stirring frequently, until it thickens. Sprinkle over the cheese and green onions, then serve and enjoy.

Red Potato Soup Variations

• Thicken it up: Many people love the thinner, milky broth of this soup as is, but if you want a thicker, chowder-like soup, you have many options. One way is to partially mash the potatoes and another is to swap the water for milk. You can also add thickening agents like corn starch, more flour or even instant mashed potatoes.
• Add more veggies: You can make this a real meal in a bowl by enhancing the vegetable content. Try adding chopped carrots, sliced kale, chopped leeks, and more.
• Go vegetarian: Of course, the bacon adds a lot of flavor but you can make this soup without it. Add some paprika and swap the chicken bouillon for a vegetable-based option.

How to Store Red Potato Soup

This soup will keep well in the fridge for two to three days when sealed in an airtight container with the excess air removed. It should be reheated on the stove and slowly brought to the desired warmth. If you need to microwave the soup do so in individual portions.

Can you freeze potato soup?

You can freeze this soup from a food safety point of view but it’s best when eaten fresh. Potatoes don’t take to freezing well and tend to be gummy or crumbly when thawed. It will remain safe to eat for three or four months in the freezer.

Red Potato Soup Tips

Can I make this soup with other kinds of potatoes?

If you don’t have red potatoes, gold potatoes are the next best choice, followed by the classic Russet. Just make sure to use one-inch cubes of whatever potato type you’re cooking with, and scrub gold potatoes well, while considering peeling Russet potatoes.

What are other garnish ideas?

More bacon never hurt a recipe so consider sprinkling chopped bacon bits over the top of the soup. You can also add cracked red pepper, croutons, chives, and other classic soup toppers.

Could this recipe be used with seafood?

Yes! Many people love adding things like clams or shrimp to this recipe to make a seafood chowder with a pleasantly thin broth. You can experiment with this red potato soup recipe in many ways, including making it into a seafood soup.