Potato Soup, So Many Ways

From a classic bowl flavored with savory-sweet leeks to one that’s fully loaded with add-ins like crispy bacon, shredded cheese and even pierogies, the options are practically endless when it comes to this comfort food favorite.

October 15, 2021

By: Trish Clasen Marsanico

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Perfect Potato Soup

Baked or boiled, mashed or fried, potatoes are the ultimate feel-good food. But when the cold weather hits, one dish in particular brings the most comfort — potato soup. It’s smooth, rich, creamy and so easy to customize. You can bulk up the soup with chickpeas, ground beef, vegetables or pierogies. You can top each bowl with shredded cheddar and crispy bacon, or whatever you add to your baked potatoes. Or, you can keep it simple like Ree Drummond did with this recipe. With nearly 200 5-star reviews, it’s a great place to start. (P.S. Many of these recipes require blending hot liquids, so we recommend investing in an immersion blender.)

Get the Recipe: Perfect Potato Soup

Roasted Potato Leek Soup

Ina Garten’s potato soup recipe starts with roasting potatoes and leeks until the vegetables are tender and caramelized. This really adds to the overall flavor along with the addition of peppery arugula, rich creme fraiche, and fried crispy shallots.

Get the Recipe: Roasted Potato Leek Soup

Almost-Famous Baked Potato Soup

When Panera Bread took its beloved Baked Potato Soup off the menu, the Food Network Kitchen worked to crack the code to create a version everyone can make at home. Featuring cream cheese, Parmesan, and half-and-half, this dairy-laden soup is both decadent and delicious.

Get the Recipe: Almost-Famous Baked Potato Soup

Potato Leek Soup

With just a handful of ingredients, Robert Irvine proves that you don’t need a lot to make an incredibly satisfying bowl of soup.

Get the Recipe: Potato Leek Soup

Copycat Zuppa Toscana

Add Italian sausage, potatoes, kale and bacon to this week’s shopping list, so you can enjoy our version of the Olive Garden’s most popular soup all in the comfort of your own home.

Get the Recipe: Copycat Zuppa Toscana

Cheeseburger Potato Soup

For a family friendly twist, Molly Yeh taps into a cookout favorite and adds ground beef, shredded Swiss cheese and pickles. Serve toasted sesame seed buns on the side for dunking.

Get the Recipe: Cheeseburger Potato Soup

Classic Potato Leek Soup

A splash of lemon juice and white wine add a bit of brightness to our most classic creamy potato soup.

Get the Recipe: Classic Potato Leek Soup

Fully-Loaded Baked Potato Soup

You know Guy Fieri’s version will be packed with flavor! He specifically calls for applewood smoked bacon and mashes the spuds with the back of a spoon, leaving it a little bit chunky.

Get the Recipe: Fully Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Knoephla Soup

This soup, brought to the Midwest by German immigrants, is studded with little chewy dumplings. “The texture of the dumplings and the pure comfort of it all makes this the kind of soup that I just shovel into my mouth with abandon,” says Molly Yeh.

Get the Recipe: Knoephla Soup

Chickpea and Potato Soup

If you don’t want to deal with blending hot liquids, this is the recipe for you. Instead of pureeing the potatoes, Rachael Ray simply chops them and adds them to a broth along with chickpeas, ditalini pasta and spinach. The results are hearty, comforting and ready in just 35 minutes.

Get the Recipe: Chickpea and Potato Soup

Cheesy Potato Soup

Introducing your new all-time-favorite garnish, cheesy potato tots. Frozen potato puffs are baked, sprinkled with shredded Cheddar cheese, baked again and then added to bowls of velvety rich soup along with a dollop of sour cream, crispy bacon and chives.

Get the Recipe: Cheesy Potato Soup

Kale, Zucchini and Potato Soup

This simple recipe makes it easy (and tasty!) to get more greens into your diet. Before blending the soup, you’ll add kale and zucchini to the mix.

Get the Recipe: Kale, Zucchini and Potato Soup

Keto Loaded "Baked Potato" Soup

Technically, this isn’t a potato soup recipe since you won’t find a single spud in the ingredient list. That said, roasted cauliflower and radishes give this hearty soup tons of flavor and a smooth consistency that’s similar to the real thing. Plus, you’re still topping each bowl with your favorite baked potato fixings — crispy bacon, shredded Cheddar, sour cream and chives.

Get the Recipe: Keto Loaded "Baked Potato" Soup

Butternut Squash, Potato and Ginger Soup

Combine two fall favorites — potato soup and butternut squash soup — into one big pot of comfort. Garnish each bowl with pepitas, thyme and a drizzle of cream to take it to the next level.

Get the Recipe: Butternut Squash, Potato and Ginger Soup

Creamy Broccoli and Potato Soup

Cheddar and Broccoli Soup may be a crowd-pleaser, but this alternative is every bit as comforting. Broccoli, potato and leeks are pureed into a silky, savory soup. A splash of heavy cream adds richness.

Get the Recipe: Creamy Broccoli and Potato Soup

Potato-Leek Soup with Mini Pierogi

Keep a package of store-bought pierogies in your freezer, so you’ll be ready to whip up a family-friendly meal at a moment’s notice. In this weeknight dinner, the potato dumplings are cooked in a skillet, then stirred into potato soup along with crispy bacon.

Get the Recipe: Potato-Leek Soup with Mini Pierogi

Hearty Chicken, Corn and Potato Soup

Inspired by ajiaco, a Colombian dish served in restaurants throughout Bogota, this soul-warming soup features a homemade chicken broth, corn and potatoes, plus a flavorful sauce made with scallions, cilantro, hot sauce and tomatoes.

Get the Recipe: Hearty Chicken, Potato and Corn Soup

Baked Potato Soup

With crispy bacon, melted butter, shredded Cheddar, scallions and sour cream, Trisha Yearwood’s soup is everything you love about a Loaded Baked Potato, but served up as a big bowl of comfort. This is also a great way to use up any leftover baked potatoes.

Get the Recipe: Baked Potato Soup

Savannah-Style Irish Potato Soup

“The ‘Irish’ in this soup’s name refers to the large Irish population in Savannah, not the type of potato,” says Virginia Willis. Instead, her recipe calls for starchy russet potatoes, which are perfect because they’ll fall apart.

Get the Recipe: Savannah-Style Irish Potato Soup

Sausage, Potato and Kale Soup

Another 5-star recipe from Ree Drummond, this big-batch potato soup is bulked up with Italian sausage and kale.

Get the Recipe: Sausage, Potato and Kale Soup

Potato-Leek Soup with Bacon

Bookmark this recipe just for the croutons alone. Bread cubes are tossed with melted butter and smoked paprika, then baked until golden brown. You may want to double the recipe, so you can have extra croutons on hand for salads or snacking.

Get the Recipe: Potato-Leek Soup With Bacon

Loaded Potato Soup

To make this dish even more decadent, Nancy Fuller crisps up bacon in a Dutch oven to add as a garnish, then cooks everything else in the bacon fat. She doesn’t blend the soup, but instead uses a potato masher to break up the cooked potatoes before whisking in sour cream and cheese. It’s a bit chunkier, yet still cozy and delicious.

Get the Recipe: Loaded Potato Soup