What’s more comforting on a cold day than a warm bowl of soup? Bacon Jalapeno Baked Potato Soup is thick and creamy with just enough heat to warm you up!
Bacon Jalapeno Baked Potato Soup is a must-have at our dinner table during the colder months. Creamy potato soups, like my husband’s favorite Slow Cooker Ham and Potato Cheese Soup, are always at the top of my list. This cheesy potato soup is complemented by crumbles of crispy bacon and has just the right amount of heat. I recommend serving it in homemade bread bowls for a fab comfort food meal!
BACON JALAPENO BAKED POTATO SOUP
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If you’ve been following us for a while, you probably know that we are crazy for jalapeno and bacon recipes! Adding the flavors of bacon & jalapeno to this soup makes it taste like a next-level loaded baked potato.
My friends and family love this recipe. I make it for dinner, for a cold-weather lunch to warm up after playing outside, and for football games.
Ingredients in Bacon Jalapeno Baked Potato Soup
- Baking potatoes
- Bacon
- Onion
- Jalapeno peppers
- Celery
- Chicken broth
- Salt & pepper
- Heavy cream
- Cream cheese
My favorite garnishes for this soup are sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, crumbled bacon, chopped chives (or green onions), and sliced jalapenos. They’re so good with this soup!!
How to Make Baked Potato Soup
There’s a bit of prep work involved in this recipe, but once you have that done the rest is a breeze!
- First, heat your oven to 425 degrees F. Rinse your baking potatoes and score them all over by poking holes in the skin with a fork. Place the potatoes on a sheet pan and bake in your oven for an hour. When the potatoes are fork-tender, remove them from the oven and place them on a rack to cool.
- When the potatoes are cooled enough to handle, slice them in half and scoop out the flesh into a bowl. Use a mixer to whip the potatoes to your desired texture. If you like a little extra heartiness, stop whipping when a few lumps of potato remain.
- Cut your bacon into one-inch pieces and place a dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until crispy. Use a slotted spoon to remove the cooked bacon and set it aside.
- Then, drain most of the bacon fat from the pan, leaving about a tablespoon or so. Add the onion, jalapeno, and celery and cook in the bacon fat until tender. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to low, and cook for another 15 minutes.
- Next, add the mashed potatoes to the pot, then stir in the chicken broth. Bring the soup to a simmer over medium heat, then reduce the heat to low again and cook for another 5 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream and cream cheese, then add most of the bacon back to the soup, reserving some for garnish.
- Season the baked potato soup with salt & pepper to taste, then portion it into bread bowls or your favorite soup bowls. Top with the remaining bacon crumbles and shredded cheddar cheese. Garnish with chopped chives and sliced fresh jalapenos if desired, then serve and enjoy!
One of my favorite hacks for this recipe is using crock pot baked potatoes. I let them cook while I’m at work or running around taking care of kids and errands. Then when I get home the potatoes are ready for me to make the soup!
How to Thicken Potato Soup
This loaded baked potato soup recipe uses both heavy cream and cream cheese to give it a thick and hearty consistency. To ensure that the cream cheese melts well into the soup, you’ll want to break it up with a whisk or spoon so that no lumps remain.
If you want to thicken your soup even more, you could try adding a roux. In a pan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Add in 2 tablespoons of flour, stirring constantly until thickened. Then, stir the roux into your soup and allow it to cook for a few minutes until it reaches your desired consistency.
What to Serve with Baked Potato Soup
While this soup is hearty enough to stand on its own, you could try pairing it with a simple wedge salad or chicken salad sandwiches for a complete meal.
I also like to pair it with my favorite sweet cornbread when I don’t serve it in bread bowls.
Try these other yummy soup recipes!
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Slow Cooker Broccoli Cheese Soup
- Homemade Black Bean Soup Recipe
- Slow Cooker Cauliflower Cheese Soup
- Classic Tomato Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
- More dinner recipes…
Tools used to make this Bacon Jalapeno Baked Potato Soup recipe
Dutch Oven: This dutch oven is a one-pot wonder! From cooking soups to braising meats, this dutch oven makes cooking the best stove to oven dishes as easy as can be!
Soup Bowls: This set of soup bowls is both versatile and stylish! Whether it’s a night in with your family or a dinner party for a crowd, these bowls are perfect for serving comforting soups and stews.
*This post originally posted on 11/03/2014.
Ingredients
- 4 pounds baking potatoes
- 1 pound bacon cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 2 jalapeno peppers chopped
- 2 ribs of celery chopped
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 4 ounces cream cheese cut into cubes
Garnishes
- Sour cream
- Chopped chives
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Sliced jalapenos
- Bread bowls for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Rinse potatoes and use a fork to poke holes all over the potatoes. Place potatoes in the oven (on a baking sheet or right on the oven rack) and bake for 60 minutes or until they are fork-tender. Set potatoes aside until they're cool enough to touch.
- Slice the potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out the inside of the potatoes. Place the potato flesh in the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Using the whisk attachment, whip the potatoes until all the lumps are gone, or leave some lumps depending on the texture you'd like for your soup.
- Heat a dutch oven or large pot on the stove over medium heat. Place bacon into the pot and cook until crispy. Remove the bacon and set aside on a paper towel-lined plate.
- Drain bacon grease, leaving 1 tablespoon in the pot.
- Add the onion, jalapeno, and celery to the pot and cook for 2-3 minutes until tender. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to low. Cook the vegetables for 15 minutes.
- Add the whipped potatoes to the pot and stir. Slowly stir in the chicken stock.
- Bring the soup to a simmer over medium heat. Then reduce heat to low and cook for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the heavy cream and cream cheese. Make sure to break up the cream cheese so that it melts all the way.
- Add back in most of the bacon, leaving some out to garnish each bowl with. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Spoon soup into a soup bowl or bread bowl and garnish with bacon, cheese, chives, and jalapeno slices. Serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
katie goldsworthy says
This looks soo good! Pinning to the Monday Funday board!
heather @french press says
I could just dive right into that bread bowl
chanelle says
I love a good potato soup. I have never used jalapeños in it before… that sounds like a nice addition, even though it might take some convincing/ trickery to get my family on board.