Description
Comfort meets convenience in this creamy crack potato soup, a hearty dish guaranteed to warm winter nights. Potato lovers will savor each spoonful of rich, cheesy goodness that promises to satisfy hungry souls with minimal kitchen effort.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 1 (30 ounces/850 grams) bag frozen diced hash brown potatoes (or 6 cups diced fresh potatoes)
- 4 cups (960 milliliters) chicken broth
- 1 (8 ounces/225 grams) package cream cheese, softened and cubed
- 1 (10.5 ounces/298 grams) can condensed cream of chicken soup
- 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
Seasonings and Flavor Enhancers:
- 1 (1 ounce/28 grams) packet ranch seasoning mix
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
Garnish and Toppings:
- ½ cup cooked bacon, crumbled (plus extra for garnish)
- ¼ cup chopped green onions (for garnish)
Instructions
- Gather a crock pot and combine frozen hash brown potatoes, creamy chicken broth, softened cream cheese, condensed chicken soup, and zesty ranch seasoning mix into the slow cooker vessel.
- Gently mix all ingredients until they form a uniform, smooth base, ensuring no dry pockets of seasoning remain.
- Secure the crock pot lid and set the temperature to low, allowing the mixture to simmer and develop rich flavors for 6-7 hours, or alternatively use high heat for 3-4 hours until potatoes become perfectly tender.
- Once potatoes reach a soft consistency, introduce shredded cheddar cheese and crispy bacon crumbles into the soup, stirring to distribute evenly throughout the liquid.
- Continue cooking for an additional 10-15 minutes, letting the cheese melt completely and create a luxurious, velvety texture.
- Carefully ladle the steaming soup into serving bowls, creating an inviting presentation.
- Enhance the final dish by generously sprinkling extra cheddar cheese, additional crisp bacon bits, and freshly chopped green onions as a vibrant garnish.
Notes
- Customize the soup’s consistency by adding more broth if it becomes too thick during cooking.
- Swap regular bacon for turkey bacon to reduce fat content and make the dish lighter.
- Experiment with different cheese varieties like pepper jack or gruyere for unique flavor profiles.
- Prepare vegetarian version by replacing chicken broth with vegetable broth and using plant-based bacon alternatives.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 hours
- Category: Dinner, Lunch, Appetizer
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 300
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 800mg
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 28g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 9g
- Cholesterol: 50mg