With the fall season emerging, sweaters being taken out of attic storage, and crisper winds coming in, there’s never been a better time to put on a pot of soup. Luckily, this easy and delicious recipe for a hearty, creamy potato soup from Pinch of Yum is the perfect thing to whip up when you’re in need of some incredible comfort food.

Besides the bacon, which of course elevates this tried and true potato recipe, baking a delicious, fresh loaf of breadalongside your pot of soup is one of the contributing factors that can make this creamy potato soup into a main course and not just a secondary side. So, start planning your course of action for your main course(s) now, because the following recipe (which is a favorite from Pinch of Yum) is the perfect autumn treat for you, your loved ones, and friends you haven’t met yet. Take out that soup pot, preheat the oven, and let’s get started!

Ingredients:

6 slices of bacon

4 tablespoons of butter

2 cups mirepoix (celery, carrots, and onions, all minced)

3 cloves of garlic, minced

½ teaspoon of salt

½ teaspoon of sage

½ teaspoon of seasoning mix (thyme, rosemary, oregano, etc)

¼ cup of all-purpose flour

3 cups of whole milk

1-2 cups of chicken broth (varies depending on desired consistency and texture)

2 russet potatoes, peeled and cubed

Recipe:

• The key to beginning this recipe the right way is preparing the bacon. You’ll want to preheat the oven to 400°Fand bake the bacon for 20 minutes after it’s been placed on a baking sheet that’s lined with parchment paper. After it’s baked, crumble or cut the bacon into small pieces.
• To start your soup base, place your favorite soup pot on a burner set to low-medium, and melt your butter. Turn up the heat to medium-high, and then add your mirepoix, garlic, salt, and seasoning, and sauté this mixture of garlic, celery, carrots, and onions until it’s all soft and translucent.
• Then, add your flour and stir it into the vegetables for a few minutes so that you cook that floury taste away. Once it’s gone, add the milk a little bit at a time. You’ll want to stir after each incremental addition of milk until the consistency is smooth and creamy or simply to your liking. At this point, the soup should start out very thick and eventually thin out once you begin adding milk.
• Now add in your potato pieces, stir it all together, and take stock of the consistency. You’ll then add chicken broth until you get to the consistency that you’re looking for. If you want a thicker soup, use less broth, and vice versa if you’re looking for a thinner soup.
• This is where the flavor can really make its presence known. You’ll want to let the soup simmer for 30-40 minutes minimum. The potato soup will begin to thicken as it continues to simmer and even more so when it’s cooling down. It’s suggested that you wait until the potatoes are nearly fully melted with their edges softened a bit before you remove the pot entirely from the heat. With this said, feel free to let the soup simmer “slow and low” to really ingrain a rich flavor into the pot. Just be sure to keep an eye on the consistency and stir the pot throughout the process with your extra chicken broth on standby.
• Once it’s removed from the heat, either pour your soup into bowls and add your bacon pieces or if you’re serving a larger crowd you can sprinkle your bacon into the pot and stir it into the soup.

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