Okay, so I know you are all probably thinking, why soup, why right now? Isn't it to hot out? My husband thinks I'm nuts, because I LOVE soup, year round. When this time of year approaches, I get the itch to just cook soup, and stew, and all kinds of yummy food. I chose this recipe, because one, it's SOUPER easy, and two, it sounded incredibly delicious. I improvised, improved, added, and subtracted a few things to make it my own, as I normally do with most new recipes I try.
So, here it is, though it was 96 here today, we still ate it, and it was AMAZING!
Crock pot potato cheese soup
5-6 medium potatoes (peeled, and rough chopped to bit size chunks)
1/2 purple onion, finely minced
3 cloves garlic, mash, diced and minced
5 cups chicken stock
1 large (family size) can Cream of chicken soup ( if making this for vegetarians, use vegetable broth, or just water and extra seasonings)
1 can Recipe Starters by Progresso, Three Cheese
4 oz. Cream cheese, softened
1 TBS. Sea salt
1 TBS. black pepper
1 TBS. garlic powder
1 TBS. onion powder
1 lb. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 lb. bacon, cooked to crispy goodness and crumbled
Chives (about one bushel) Chopped
2 Cups raw broccoli florets
Sour cream (optional)
In a large crock pot add, potatoes, onion, garlic, stock, soups, cream cheese, and seasonings. Cover to let cook for 8-10 hours on low, or 4-5 hours on high. An hour before serving this soup, add half of the cheese, and stir until melted. Add the raw broccoli, and chives. Continue to cook until hot and bubbly again. Serve piping hot, in a bowl, and top with cheese, sour cream, & bacon.
