Cheesy Potato Soup

5 from 2 votes

This soup is so good and so versatile. Made with mashed potatoes added into the creamy cheesy soup, but you can use diced potatoes for a more chunky soup. This soup is not your usual cheese soup in that the herbs, seasonings, and sauces added in make the flavors of this soup so deep and complex.

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Total Time45

Course: Meatless Main Dish, One pot meal, Soup

Cuisine: American

Servings: people

Calories: 388kcal

Author: Sally Humeniuk

Equipment

2 soup pots one for boiling the potatoes, one for making the cheese soup
1 potato masher
1 immersion blender optional
1 Cheese grater

Ingredients

2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes
½ tsp salt
2 tbsp cream cheese softened
¾ cup sour cream
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
1 large yellow onion
3 cloves garlic
¼ cup flour
1 tsp dried oregano
½ tsp dried parsley
½ tsp mustard powder
½ tsp dried thyme
½ tsp fresh black pepper
2 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp hot sauce like Tabasco
4 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
2 cups half and half
3 cups cheddar cheese shredded
⅓ cup Parmesan cheese shredded
1 ½ tsp salt or to taste

Optional toppings

chives, green onions, or parsley
crumbled bacon
extra shredded cheese

Instructions

Boil the potatoes- Peel the potatoes and dice them into 1-inch pieces. In a medium pot, add enough cool water to cover the potatoes and add ½ teaspoon salt. Heat to boil and then simmer until tender while preparing the other ingredients.
Caramelize the onions- Heat the olive oil and butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Rough dice the onions and add to the pot. Saute onions over medium to medium-high heat until they're caramelized golden brown, about 15 minutes.
Once the onions are browned, add the garlic and heat over medium heat for a minute, stirring to incorporate.
Add the flour and toss to coat. Continue to cook the mixture for another minute or two to remove the flour taste, stirring constantly.
Add the dried oregano, dried parsley, mustard powder, thyme, and black pepper. Stir and cook about 30 seconds, then add soy sauce, hot sauce, chicken broth, or vegetable broth. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes until the mixture has thickened slightly.
At this point, the potatoes should be ready. Make sure they're fork tender. Drain the potatoes and add the cream cheese and sour cream to them. Mash the potato mixture with a potato masher until mashed well and add the potatoes to the soup pot.
Stir the potatoes into the soup, mashing them further. If you want a very smooth soup, use an immersion blender or regular blender to blend further (see notes below for more options).
Turn the heat to low and add the half and half, cheddar cheese, and Parmesan cheese. Add 1 teaspoon salt and taste, adding up to ½ teaspoon more if needed.
Once the cheeses have melted completely, the soup is ready to serve.
Serve with additional toppings as desired.

Notes

The potatoes can be left diced if you're wanting a chunky soup. You can also add sliced carrots, peas, or broccoli.
The soy sauce adds a nice umami flavor and the hot sauce adds no heat, just makes the soup more complex so don't skip these ingredients. You won't be sorry.
You may use whole milk in place of half and half if you don't have it. The soup may be a little thinner.
Feel free to add even more cheese to your liking to the soup. Mild, medium, or sharp (or a combination) all work very well, depending on what you prefer.
The potatoes are boiled separately in the recipe. This is necessary to rid them of excess starch prior to adding to the soup. Otherwise, the soup will have a gummy texture.

Nutrition