It’s soup season, y’all! Growing up, I swapped between tomato soup and loaded baked potato soup as my favorites. We already have a recipe for tomato soup on the blog, so we thought it was about time we added a loaded baked potato soup recipe!
We have a bit of a delicious twist in this baked potato soup recipe, and it’s a delicious one. Typically, people use bacon in this recipe but we opted for using bone-in ham and it was probably the best decision we’ve ever made. We got our hands on Frick’s Quality Meats, a five generation company that produces small batch meats and does it really well. Read all about their awesome story here.
The Beard is a butcher by trade and was seriously so impressed with the quality of their ham. You can tell how much they really care about their products and their packaging. One example – they put a “bone guard” over the bone so it protects the bone and the packaging. Little things that like are a sign of a company that pays attention to the little things.
Since you only need about a pound of the ham for your baked potato soup, you’ll have some leftover (lucky you) and can slice it for sandwiches or just to eat on its’ own. Baby O loves to snack on ham, so this was great to have on hand for the next few days after we made our soup.
Don’t let this roux frighten you! This recipe is super easy, just takes a few steps. First, you’ll add butter to your stock pot, let it melt and then add your flour whisking to combine.
Don’t get me wrong, I love some Panera baked potato soup. But, homemade soup just tastes SO good and doesn’t get that weird texture that packaged soups sometimes have since you are eating this one right after it’s made. Plus, using the bone-in ham creates an amazing about of flavor. The ham is so perfectly salty and adds a depth of flavor that just takes this over the edge.
Oh, and then you add cheese and it’s seriously delicious. It’s already pretty creamy so be careful to not add too much cheese at first or you’ll just make a loaded baked potato dip instead of a soup. You can always add more cheese as a garnish.
Let’s just discuss how the best serving bowl is a bread bowl. Don’t fight me on this. It’s messy as h*ll to finish eating but it’s so satisfying so get a bib and enjoy it. Also, we got these bread bowls at Costco so now we have 4 more to enjoy and I’m pretty thrilled about it.
Ah, don’t you just wanna dive right into this bowl of baked potato soup? If you are feeling extra decadent, toss some some sour cream on there too. Don’t forget to follow Frick’s Quality Meats on Facebook, Instagram, and head over to their website for recipe inspiration! Don’t forget to tag us when you whip up this amazing soup!
Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 3/4 – 1 pound Frick’s Quality Meats Bone-In Ham cubed
- 1 bunch green onions sliced
- 12-16 oz new potataoes sliced in quarters
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons flour
- 4-5 cups whole milk warm
- 6-8 oz shredded cheese
- 1-2 teaspoons black pepper
- 2 whole jalapenos chopped for garnish
Instructions
- Chop your potatoes, green onions, and jalapeños. Set aside green onions and jalapeños. Place chopped potatoes in a bowl of water to soak while you prepare other items.
- Chop ham, careful to slice around the bone. Chop about 1 pound into pieces for your soup. Slice remaining ham to use for sandwiches or snacks!
- Add 5 cups of milk to a pot and warm over medium heat for about 5-8 minutes, make sure it doesn’t burn.
- While milk is warming, add butter to a large stock pot and melt. Then, add flour to melted butter, constantly whisking to combine to create a roux.
- Carefully pour 4 cups of warm milk into roux, whisking to combine. Be sure to scrape anything off the bottom so nothing burns. Cook for about two minutes, until it thickens. Add additional cup of milk, til desired thickness.
- Add chopped potato, half of the sliced green onions, and ham to the stock pot. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 15-20 minutes.
- Check your potato doneness and continue cooking til desired texture. Then, turn off heat and add shredded cheese, stirring to combine.
- Ladle into a bread bowl and top with more cheese, green onions, chopped jalapenos, and maybe sour cream!
We'd Love To Hear Your Thoughts on This Recipe!