Potato Soup

Last month, my mom and sister both came down with the stomach bug.  It wasn't pretty.  Mom was sick for almost a week and Kenzie for a few days.  By the time they were both feeling up to eating again, I was ready with a new recipe: potato soup.  They wanted something slightly bland but still tasty, easy to digest but heart and filling too.  This recipe checked all those boxes.  Plus, it's Pioneer Woman, so it couldn't go wrong.  And she calls it Perfect Potato Soup.  How's that for a name?

Like all good potato soups, this one has a base of potatoes but also carrots, onions and celery.  There's milk and heavy cream in there too, but I changed out the cream for Greek yogurt just to make it a little less rich for the recovering sickies.  The secret spice ingredient is Cajun spice.  I know, I wasn't expecting that either, but it gives the soup a subtle heat and a lot of flavor.  Don't skip it - it wasn't too spicy for any of us, and I hate spice and they were vomiting days earlier, so you'll have to take our advice!

The other thing I really liked about the soup is that you don't blend all of it so it still has some texture.  Totally pureed soups aren't my favorites, and this one still has some nice chunks of veggies in there to sink your teeth into!

The soup gets topped with parsley, cheese and bacon.  I left the bacon and cheese out and was happy enough with the fresh taste of the parsley.  My family topped theirs happily with bacon as well and were very pleased with their dinner.  This soup reheated wonderfully and was a good go-to for lunches.  I know it's 90 degrees out there and you aren't thinking "soup" today, but the next time you put a sweatshirt on, keep this soup in mind.

Recipe:

potato soup
from the Pioneer Woman
yield 12 servings

Ingredients:
6 slices thin bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 whole medium onion, diced
3 whole carrots, scrubbed clean and diced
3 stalks celery, diced
6 whole small russet potatoes, peeled and diced
8 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon salt, more to taste
black pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon Cajun spice mix
1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
1 cup grated cheese of your choice

Instructions:

1) Add bacon pieces to a soup pot over medium heat and cook bacon until crisp and gat is rendered.  Remove the bacon form the pot and set it aside.  Pour off most of the grease, but do not clean the pot.

2) Return the pot to medium-high heat and add the onions, carrots and celery.  Stir and cook for 2 minutes or so, then add the diced potatoes.  Cook for 5 minutes, seasoning with salt, pepper, and Cajun spice.

3) Pour in the broth and bring it to a gentle boil.  Cook for 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are starting to get tender.  Whisk together the flour and milk, then pour into the soup and allow it to cook for another 5 minutes.

4) Remove half to 2/3 of the soup and blend in batched in a blender/food processor until completely smooth, using caution.  Pour it back into the soup pot and stir to combine.  Let it heat back up as you taste for seasonings, adding more of what it needs.  Stir in cream, then stir in parsley, reserving a little for garnish.

5) Serve in bowls garnished with parsley, grated cheese and crisp bacon pieces.