2013 – Gluten Free Living

Earlier this week I was looking through my Pinterest boards and found this recipe from Disney’s Carnation Cafe that I pinned last summer. So as I was drooling over the picture I decided it was time to make this amazing soup. All I can say is that this soup rated 5 Stars with me! Loaded Baked Potato Soup was spectacular. Loaded Baked Potato Soup is a potato soup with carrots, celery, onions and bacon in a thick chowder-type sauce and then topped off with your favorite toppings like sour cream, chives, bacon and cheese.

The essence of bacon permeated the soup because you start by frying bacon and then add the veggies into the bacon grease and saute. The smoky bacon-like taste was awesome. This soup has become one of my all-time favorites. No, Loaded Baked Potato Soup can never be considered healthy or low calorie even if it is gluten free. It’s filled with bacon and fattening dairy-based calories. But it certainly is one of the best tasting soup recipes I’ve ever had.

If you’re looking for a hearty no-holds-barred chowder that’s filled with calories as well as having a fantastic taste, look no farther than Loaded Baked Potato Soup. It’s really a fairly easy soup to make although I would make a few recommendations. If you want your potatoes to be chunkier like mine, cook the potatoes for about 20 minutes (instead of 4-5) with the other veggies in the bacon grease before adding the broth or cut the potatoes into smaller dice. Otherwise the potatoes won’t cook in the time allotted.

Other than that, this recipe is about perfect! The taste is superb. Loaded Baked Potato Soup sure has my vote of approval!

This Loaded Baked Potato Soup is spectacular.

Every bite is filled with potatoes and lots of bacon and cheese. 

This close up displays the chives, melted cheese and bacon I used for the garnish. I wish I’d had fresh chives but mine had gone bad so I had to throw them out. Dried chives just don’t pack quite the same flavor.

Serve this marvelous soup with flatbread crackers or a loaf of home baked bread.

Here’s what I did.

If you want to cut up the potatoes ahead of time they need to be put in iced water to preserve them and prevent them from browning.

I put ice in a large tupperware bowl.

I added cold water from the refrigerator.

Here I added unpeeled, cubed red potatoes. I highly recommend if you want your potatoes in this size that you cook them about 20 minutes when sauteing in the bacon grease, otherwise they won’t be cooked through in the time allotted. Otherwise, cut your potatoes in smaller pieces than this.

Here I’ve added the cubed russet potatoes. My mom used to do this all the time for carrots or potatoes but she used to add salt to the water also. I prepared the potatoes a couple of hours before I was ready to get started on the recipe.

To begin: Cut a pound of bacon in 1″ slices. Be sure to wash your board with hot soapy water or put in the dishwasher after doing this step. You don’t want cross contamination of other vegetables.

Fry bacon in skillet until completely cooked.

This will take awhile. Continue turning bacon over until all the fat is fried completely.

Meanwhile, dice celery, onions and carrots. I chose to slice the carrots, but dicing is probably better for this recipe so the veggies are cooked on time.

I started removing the cooked bacon pieces and set them on dry paper towels to absorb the extra grease.

Here the bacon is laid out on paper towels to drain.

Here’s all the bacon fat rendered from the bacon.

Add the celery, onions, and carrots and cook until onion is translucent.

Add potatoes and cook 4 minutes. For this size potato chunk I recommend cooking closer to 15-20 minutes.

Stir veggies to combine.

I used gluten free flour.

Stir gluten free flour into potato mixture.

Cook about 5-7 minutes.

Add chicken broth. I didn’t have any so I substituted vegetable broth instead.

Add half the bacon pieces. 

Add salt to taste.

Add pepper to taste.

Here I’ve added salt and pepper.

Bring soup to a simmer and cook 25 minutes OR until potatoes are soft. If your potatoes are not cooked through when you pierce them with a fork continue cooking until they are cooked! Once potatoes are cooked mash about half of them with a potato masher to make the mixture creamier in texture.

Add heavy whipping cream. I didn’t have any so I substituted half and half instead.

Here I’m adding the half and half to the soup mixture.

Here’s what the soup looks like now. Simmer the soup mixture about 5 to 10 minutes or until thickened.

I wanted the mixture creamier so I mashed potatoes with a potato masher.

Here the soup has thickened considerably and is about ready to serve.

Now the Potato Soup is done and we’re going to load it up with toppings!

For garnish I added chives, lots of cheese, and lots of bacon pieces. It was wonderful!

This is a little closer so you can see the texture of the soup.

This is an incredibly tasty soup that’s really nice enough to serve to company. It’s very hearty and filling too.

Here you can see the melted cheese on the top of the soup. The cheese and bacon on top of the soup added so much extra flavor. You can add sour cream if you desire, but I preferred serving Loaded Baked Potato Soup this way.

Here’s the recipe.

LOADED BAKED POTATO SOUP

(Recipe adapted from Chef Oscar, Disney’s Carnation Café)

1 pound bacon, roughly chopped

1 medium yellow onion, diced

2 large carrots, peeled and diced

3/4 cup diced celery

4 large Russet potatoes, peeled and finely diced

4 medium red potatoes, finely diced

1/3 cup gluten free flour

3 cups chicken or vegetable stock

Coarse salt, freshly ground pepper, to taste

4 cups heavy whipping cream (I didn’t have heavy cream so I substituted half-and-half)

Optional garnishes: chopped chives, bacon bits, sour cream, shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese

In a 6- to 8-quart stockpot over medium heat, fry bacon until crisp. Remove bacon and drain on paper towels, reserving half for garnish. In bacon fat, cook onions, carrots, and celery until the onions are translucent. Add potatoes and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. (If you cut your potatoes in large dice like I did, you need to cook the potatoes between 10-15 minutes here or they won’t be cooked long enough). Whisk in flour and stir constantly over low heat until the flour is cooked and the mixture has thickened slightly, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add chicken or vegetable stock and half of the bacon. Season with salt and pepper. Over medium-high heat, bring the soup to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. If the potatoes are cubed it may take longer to cook them. Mash some of the potatoes for thicker, creamier texture. Add whipping cream and simmer for 5-10 minutes or until soup thickens. Season to taste, and garnish with toppings.

NOTES: Soak diced potatoes in cold water until ready to use to keep them from turning brown. To make bacon easier to chop, lightly freeze. Serves 6.

I’ve had several bowls of this delicious soup now and each one was heavenly. I adored the flavors of this great soup and it reheats nicely too.

While gluten free, this soup is not low calorie! But it sure tastes amazing.

Here we are dipping crackers into the soup.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup has got to be one of my all-time favorite soups. It is so sumptuous.

Your family will love this delightful soup. Better grab the recipe and make yourself some right away!

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