I am literally in the process of making a crock pot full of this soup for my kids to bring to youth group tonight!  It’s so easy to make and never disappoints, especially if you are a loaded baked potato fan!  I actually added riced broccoli to the original recipe the first time I made it to try and sneak in an extra veggie without my kids knowing, and no one suspected a thing!  And of course it’s not fully loaded until you add the bacon!!!

Ingredients: Makes 4 – 6 cups / 6 – 8 bowls of soup

• 6 large potatoes*, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cups riced broccoli
• 1 quart low sodium chicken stock
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup butter, sliced
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp fresh black pepper
• 1 cup light cream
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, plus extra
• 3 tbsp fresh chives, chopped plus extra
• 8 slices of bacon, fried and crumbled
• sour cream

Directions:

1. Combine the first 8 ingredients (potatoes – pepper) in a large crock pot.  Cook on LOW for 8 hours (until potatoes are tender).
2. Mash the mixture using a hand held immersion blender.  Then stir in the cream, cheddar cheese and chives.  Let cook 5 more minutes.
3. Serve each cup/bowl with a dollop of sour cream, crumbled bacon, cheese and chives!

Comments:

• I prefer Yukon Gold potatoes for this recipe.  However, I ran out of them this morning and had to add 2 large baking potatoes to the mix!
• You can cut the cooking time in half by cranking your crock pot to HIGH for 4 hours.  The reason I typically go with LOW heat is because I am a firm believer in “low and slow” when it comes to crock pot cooking.  And… I get a weird kick out of starting something cooking in the morning, tending to it and smelling it as it cooks throughout the day, and then finally getting to feast on it at 5:00!?!

Original Recipe from geniuskitchen.com