Ingredients
Equipment
Method
Step 1: Prepare Your Ingredients
- Begin by washing and peeling your Yukon Gold potatoes. Depending on your preference, you can leave the skin on for added texture and nutrients. Next, chop them into small cubes. This ensures that they cook evenly.
Step 2: Dice the Onion
- While your potatoes take center stage, grab your onion. Finely dice it. This will add sweetness and flavor to our broth.
Step 3: Cook the Bacon (if using)
- In a skillet, cook your bacon until crisp. Reserve the drippings. Trust me; the flavors from the bacon make this soup a showstopper! Chop the crispy bacon into bite-sized pieces for later.
Step 4: Combine Ingredients in the Crockpot
- Add the cubed potatoes, diced onion, reserved bacon drippings (or butter), flour, and the broth to your crockpot. Stir gently to mix everything together.
Step 5: Seasoning Time
- Now, sprinkle in your salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and thyme. These spices add much-needed warmth and depth to the soup. Give it a gentle stir.
Step 6: Slow Cook
- Cover the crockpot and set it to low for 6–8 hours or high for 3–4 hours. This is where the magic happens. During this time, you can forget about it. Seriously!
Step 7: Final Touches
- Once the cooking time is up, use a fork or potato masher to break up some of the potatoes for extra creaminess. Add your evaporated milk, and stir in the shredded cheese until it melts into the soup. This gives it that rich and creamy texture we all love.
Step 8: Garnish and Serve
- Top with the chopped bacon, a dollop of Greek yogurt (or sour cream), and sprinkle some green onions or chives. Serve hot and enjoy your creation!
Nutrition
Notes
Cut Uniformly: Make sure your potato cubes are uniform in size for even cooking. You don’t want some mushy and some crunchy!
Broth Quality Matters: Always choose a high-quality broth. This will enhance the flavor immensely.
Creaminess Level: If you love an extra creamy soup, you can add more evaporated milk or even a splash of heavy cream at the end.
Spice Control: Feel free to adjust the spices based on your family’s taste. If the kids are sensitive to spice, leave out the paprika.
Adapt to Your Dietary Needs: This recipe is quite forgiving. You can go gluten-free with cornstarch or use dairy-free alternatives to make it vegan.
