Easy Baked Potato Soup

Fantastic soup!! I threw all the ingredients in the crock pot for 10 hrs., with a couple Tbsp. of the bacon drippings, & it was delicious! My daughter is 15 yrs. old & a little picky, & she devoured it!

I opted for this recipe because it seemed by the list of ingredients to be a more professional tasting soup than the others I read, and boy was I right! A really delicious soup! The onion and garlic and chicken broth gave so much more flavor than the other recipes which were basically a bland beschamel sauce with no depth. After reading another comment, I also reduced the basil to 1/2 tsp. and added about 1/4 tsp. dried thyme. And I also read someone comment that it was runny, so I used 4 tbsp. flour and thought I could always thin it later with milk if needed, but for my taste, 4 tbsp. was perfect, not too thick or thin. And I topped it with grated parmesean. Thanks Kristi for a great recipe!

I made this the other night for my family, mind you, I'm VERY much a beginner cook. I followed the recipe for the most part, except a few little things here and there. I didn't bake the potatoes first, I just cubed them and cooked them in the chicken broth while I was sauteing the garlic and onions in the bacon grease, and I used that same grease to make a rue, which I think added a lot of flavor. I also crumbled up most of the pound of bacon I used and put it in the soup, and instead of half and half, I used half sour cream, and half heaving whipping cream, whisked that together and added it. I only used half the basil, which I'm glad I did because it had just the right taste. I tripled the recipe and there were STILL no leftovers! I also made the Cheddar Bay biscuits from this site to go with it, SO GOOD!! Other recipes don't even compare! =]

Oh my gosh....I'm so full. This was a fantastic soup. I've shied away from the "baked" types of potato soup for a long time, and I'm glad I picked this one for my first try. We needed more, though, so I doubled everything but the onion and salt. I didn't want to bake the potatoes first, so I made the base a little thinner with milk, and cooked the diced/raw potatoes for about 15 minutes at a gentle boil. We used about 1/2 pound of bacon, and added 2 stalks of celery to the softening of the garlic and onion. Rather than just cooking in bacon grease, though, we halved it with margarine. Lastly, we didn't use half-and-half, but creamed with about 2/3 cup of sour cream at the very end, before tossing in all of the bacon. SO good!

fantastic soup! i added twice the potatoes suggested and kept the skins on for vitamins...and used vegetarian bacon/soy bacon of course. again, fantastic!

MMM! MMM! MMM! Only minor changes. Had Yukon Gold (not very starchy & not so good at thickening) so held off on the dairy until I added half the potatoes and gave them a good whirl with the stick blender. Kids loved it with extra bacon, cheddar and sour cream. Pretty simple recipe so feel free to improvise. Highly recommended!

This was great! I doubled the recipe for a large group and although it took a while, I didn't manage my time well. I also made a more vegetarian version with vegetable stock and used olive oil instead of bacon and bacon drippings and it tasted just as good as its counterpart.

I thought this soup tasted great!! I read some other reviews and did half the basil recommended and add more flour. I also added 1/2 cup sour cream and 1 cup cheddar cheese. I mashed it up to make it thicker as well. The chicken broth was added a really good flavor. I did not have to add any other seasoning. Yummy!!

This is an excellent recipe. I will add this to our family cookbook and use it again and again. I was so pleased by the taste and texture of the soup. I will double the recipe next time so that I can have more leftovers. 5 stars

This was the first soup I ever made. I volunteered to make it as the soup of the day at the bar & grill where I bartend, since most everyone participates in the soup rotation. Anyway, I used only corn starch -- no roux -- and I wish I would have, because it could have been a little thicker. Next time I will also put a bunch of cheese in it while it is cooking. I give it five stars because I was told that it quickly sold out and everybody liked it.

Very good soup base, I made a few changes bc of what I had on hand-used dried reconstituted onion flakes, potato flakes instead of flour to thicken, evap milk instead of 1/2 & 1/2, 1/2 can cheddar cheese soup, 1/2 cup soup cream. Very forgiving soup add or decrease amounts as needed. This is a favorite at our church events :^)

simple and good

**It is important to note that when I originally made this the first time I made it as is. I did not change a single thing. The result was a mediocre (at best) soup with very little potato in it. A great base idea but not a great soup. I have made this several times now with my changes and everyone I've had the pleasure of serving it to LOVES it.** This soup only gets 4 stars because I had to make the following changes: Increased the bacon to one full package (set aside 4 strips of bacon for topping the soup later) increased the flour to 5-6 tablespoons; added 1 tsp thyme; increased the pepper to 1 1/2 teaspoons (and I only used white pepper) used 5 cups chicken broth; used a total of 6 medium baking potatoes; did NOT ADD the hot pepper sauce. I followed the directions to the letter, but after the soup was heated through I dumped it all into a big crock pot, topped it with a few leaves of sage, covered it and let it cook for 6+ hours on low. I did top this with freshly shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese and bacon pieces I had crushed.

Fantastic recipe! I had to use a bit more bacon and grease than it calls for just because I like bacon. Very delicious and just the thing for a chilly day.

Delicious! Didn't have cream, so used whole milk in place of it. Didn't have basil so I just skipped it. Used morningstar veggie bacon. My kids (especially my 2 1/2 year old) loved it. As I do with all of my cream based soups, I added about some red wine vinegar after I took it off the heat. I'm not sure how much - maybe 2 teaspoons... I'm not sure what, exactly, the red wine vinegar does, but it gives cream based soups that extra depth. So good.

We liked this. I thought it tasted better after sitting a bit. I didn't use basil, but dill and tarragon. Yummy.

This was good, but reminded me of canned cream of mushroom soup with chunks of potato in it. Adding bacon and cheese on top definately helped the taste, so don't skip that step. Good food for a cold night.

excellent recipe! very quick and tasty. i followed it just as it was written except i had to use about 1/2 cup of milk with my half/half simply because i didn't have enough. i also threw a handful of grated cheese into the soup right before serving as well as a topping. everyone loved it and i'll definitely be making this again.

sooooo good :)

If you love potato soup, you will love this recipe. By far the best potato soup I have ever made (and I used to work for a couple of restaurants). Awesome taste, great consistency. I throw my chopped bacon into the soup as its cooking for extra flavor. This one is a keeper.

This is great! I skipped the bacon because I don't eat meat and I added a tablespoon of honey dijon mustard - it is my secret weapon in creamy soups. I highly recommended this, thanks!

I've been using this awesome recipe for about half a year and I don't know why I haven't written a review for it yet! It is by far my favorite potato soup recipe in existence today. I NEVER have leftovers when I make this, and it's SO easy to make. I always make it a little more chunkier than the recipe says, (I like to fit in as many potatoes as I can) otherwise the soup won't be as thick, and comforting. It will be slightly "soupier". Overall, I love this recipe and I will continue to use it for as long as I shall cook. Now I just have to wait out Summer, and hello warm winter soups! :)

This soup was very good. It was the first one I've ever made. I used 4 Tbl. flour and used my immersion blender as "audryrub" mentioned and added 2% milk (that's what I had) instead of half and half. I topped it with grated cheese, bacon and sliced green onions. It was delicious!

Very tasty soup! The onion, garlic, bacon with bacon drippings and the chicken broth gave this so much more flavor. I opted to use both red and russet potatoes since it is what I had on hand, half and half with fresh chopped basil and parsley. To the garlic and onions I added used about 1/2 pound of bacon, cut up and 2 stalks of celery. I also used about 3T of flour to thicken it up knowing I could thin it out later with more milk, if needed. With just a little Hawaiian sea salt and black ground black pepper for seasoning the soup was ready in no time. I topped it off with shredded sharp cheddar cheese and a sprinkle of more crispy bacon. Great flavor, nice consistency and fulfilling. The soup itself was nice and creamy, hearty and delicious! I served this along with, “Holiday Chicken Salad,” from this website.

We love love love this! Being a beginner, I missed the fact you need to bake the potatoes first. I feel silly now, but a warning to others that might miss it too!

While we thought this was fantastic, it was not really 'baked potato' soup like chives, sour cream, bacon, cheese type baked potato. It was just a potato soup with a great twist to me, we loved it!

This was aweosme. My husband loooves potato soup, and he was so excited about this one. He said it was restuarant quality. I only had turkey bacon on hand so there was not much drippings - i added a few pats of butter to make up for it and the soup was delicious. I bet it's even better (if that's even possible) with regular bacon drippings!

OK, I admit it -- I'm a lazy cook. I cook my bacon on a rack in the microwave (covered with a papertowel to prevent spattering -- and it gets perfectly crisp!) and I "baked" my potatoes in the microwave, too! I pour the bacon grease off the microwave rack into a frying pan to saute the onion & garlic. Then, proceed per this recipe. This soup is WONDERFUL. The spices are perfect and the combination of the chicken broth and half-&-half cream make it so-o-o rich & delicious! I practically eat myself sick everytime I make it!!! Wow! Comfort food at it's best!

I made this last weekend and everyone loved it. The only changes I made were to use all of the bacon grease, about half of the basil and to use uncooked potatoes. I followed the recipe until after I brought the mixture to a boil and then instead of adding the potatoes, cream and hot sauce to that pan, I put the uncooked potatoes, cream and hot sauce into the crockpot and then added the rest of the mixture there. I cooked it on high for about 4 hours and then mashed up about half of the potatoes to make the soup a little thicker. It was fantastic!!

Very good, quick, and easy! I used the pre-cooked microwaveable potato cubes in the frozen food section for speed and it was still great.

My mother-in-law would make Baked Potato Soup a lot when my husband and I were dating in high school and I now use this recipe to make it for us now a few times a month. Excluding the time it takes to bake the potatoes (during which you can be doing something else), this recipe is very quick and easy. The taste is fantastic. The only things I change are just garnish so I don't think it affects the rating; we top it with not only bacon and cheese, but also green onions and sour cream. I also use fat-free half-and-half to cut back on fat. A tip for the potatoes: after they are done baking, use a fork and stab the potatoes multiple times in a straight line lengthwise across the potato to form a perforation. You can then squeeze the potato on each end and the potato will split perfectly along the perforation. Let sit for at least 10 mins. and then you can scoop out perfect size potato pieces with a spoon. Perforating and breaking open the potato right after baking is important, because that cools it down much faster so you can go on with the recipe.

I screwed this up and it was awesome!!! First of all...I did not bake the potatoes...duh! So when I realized I should have done that, I held off on adding the half and half until the potatoes got soft. Also, I didn't read the reviews (b/c I hate when people are like 'oh yeah, great after 28 adjustments), and I added the full amount of basil...way too much. Only add half the basil. The only reason mine was ok was b/c I had to add extra milk in the process of cooking the potatoes. BUT the basil adds a really interesting flavor to the soup that most potato soups don't have. Also, I skipped the bacon part b/c someone in my office (we had soup day) is a vegetarian. Everyone who brought soup had leftover soup, I had NONE. Very good recipe and will definitely make again!

The first time that I made this recipe I fell in love with it. I cubed my potatoes and boiled them instead of baking them. The soup turned out fantastic! Now I'm doubling the recipe...

Excellent recipe. I loved this. It was super easy. I added extra onion and left out the bacon, and used veggie broth since I am vegetarian.

Awesome comfort food. Nothing better on a cold day. I just added a can of creamed corn and some crispy bacon. Very good!

I don't like how bacon grease adds sweetness to soup, so I used 1 tbsp butter instead of bacon grease. Also, I followed other reviewers recommendations and boiled my potatos in the chicken broth while I made the roux and used 1/2 tsp basil and 1/2 tsp thyme. I also increased the flour one tbsp and thought it was perfect. Thanks so much for a fabulous recipe!

This is the BEST potato soup recipe I've ever tried! And simple, too ... always a bonus!

Eexcellent! My husband gave it a 10+. I like a thicker soup so I did 4 tbsp. Thanks for a great soup!

YUMMMMMMMMMMY!!!!! Very easy to make, and enjoyed by all ages (including my 3-year-old). The only minor change I made was omitting the hot sauce. I will definitely be making this again soon!

I loved this soup! So satisfying on a cold winter night. I did not want to go to the store, so I subbed some diced turkey Kielbasa instead of the bacon, and the sub worked great. I also doubled everything except the 1/2 and 1/2 and it was still plenty rich. I'm sure I'll make this a lot.

This soup was awesome. I have made it a few times and for some weird reason it always tastes better when made with bullion cubes instead of chicken stock from the box/can. I normally would not use bullion but with this particular recipe I do. Also do not try to make this healthier by using milk instead of half and half. It doesn't taste the same and it doesn't give it the creamy consistency that the cream gives it. Trust me I already tried both ways...both were good but the original recipe with half and half is to die for good. I also cut the basil in half. I always double this soup and my husband and I alone go through it within a few days tops. Thanks for posting.

After trying many potato soup recipes I think I've just found my favorite. This one isn't quite as heavy as some others but has a great blend of seasonings. I don't like my potato soup to have the texture of mashed potatoes (soup shouldn't be thick enough to be eaten with a fork!) so it was perfect for me. One thing that probably made a difference (for the better) was the fact that I used HOMEMADE chicken broth (seasoned with onion, celery, garlic, salt, pepper and poultry seasoning). My whole family gave it their enthusiastic approval!

Simple yet tasty fare. I will definitely make this again.

This is really good! I made the recipe exactly as is minus the hot sauce. I do use a hand blender to mix it in the pot, leaving a few chunks, otherwise it is too watery. I actually bought the hand blender just for this recipe & I highly recommend one. Well worth the $20, esp. since I will be making this again & again. I wanted it to be thick like most of the potato soups at restaurants. Excellent! I use a whole pkg of bacon though as 3 strips doesn't give you much bits at all. My whole family likes this. Definitely a keeper!

I'm a little embarrassed to say that I made "baked potato soup" without baked potatoes... so perhaps what I made was just Potato Soup... but nevertheless - because I didn't have any leftover baked potatoes - here's how I changed the recipe around a little and made a wonderful Potato Soup. I fried up the bacon and just kept it in as I sauteed the onion/garlic. Then I added the flour/spice mixture however I left out the salt because I always use chicken bullion in place of broth. After allowing that to cook about 2 minutes I poured in the 3 cups of water + bullion and got that boiling -- then added 2-3 potatoes cubed and boiled those until they were tender. I then used my immersion blender to mix it up a little and make it smoother and took it off the heat before adding the milk. We topped with the cheddar cheese and thoroughly enjoyed it, although I guess I can't really call it BAKED POTATO SOUP. this will go into our soup rotation for this time of year!

This soup is absolutely fantastic! I varied the recipe slightly to ensure lots and lots of flavor. I made it for 8 servings (for yummy leftovers!), here are my tweaks: I used 1# bacon, sauteed the onions/garlic in at least 3 tablespoons of bacon drippings, medium sized white onions, extra teaspoon of minced garlic, I boiled red AND baking potatoes (a few extra than called for), tripled the hot sauce (this was a key change, as it added a great warm flavor but NOT hot at all), and finally I added all the (crumbled) bacon, 2 cups medium sharp cheddar cheese, and 3/4 cup of sour cream into the soup. Then heated thoroughly for another 30 minutes. It was very quite at the dinner table...too busy enjoying this soup! Perfect on a cold winter day!!!

This may become our new favorite potato soup! I did add about 1/4 cup each of diced carrot and celery and sauteed with onion (used medium) and garlic. Cut basil to 1/2 teaspoon and added about a teaspoon of dried parsley. Slightly mashing potatoes after they warmed in the soup helped to thicken it somewhat.

don't know what all the fuss is about this recipe - very misleading reviews! i found this soup to be pretty tasteless and was kind of embarrased serving it to my family, it was really lacking all around. going to keep searching for another recipe.

This recipe, was a sad but good day for my beloved 2 1/2 pound "Poo-tater". His life ended the moment I began making this recipe. This was a very good recipe. I have to say, he was the only potato that was invited to this soup-fest. This was a very creamy light soup. The niceness of this is that the bacon grease helps with the flavoring with the onions and garlic. The cheese was a very nice add with the bacon crumbles when serving this up. I will make this again.

I loved this hearty soup recipe. AMAZING! I followed the recipe ingredients as written however, I boiled my potatoes rather than baking them. The 1/2 teaspoon of tabasco was the perfect amount to spice up this yummy soup. A must try recipe. Thanks Kristi!

This recipe is very good! I did make some minor adjustments according to our preferences. I doubled the recipe, did not double the basil, added thyme and added extra potato (I do not peel the potatoes, I microwave and dice them). I did not add the hot pepper sauce. I have a canister of dehydrated onion, red pepper, garlic and parsley that is made for home fries so I added some. This so good and filling! I double so we can have some for lunch! Hubby and kids (teenagers) devoured this soup! I served with crusty french rolls. We are very big believers in sitting together for supper, which is not always easy these days! My gang is also very used to homemade meals. Thank you for sharing this recipe Kristi T, whoever said it was tasteless and they were embarrassed to serve it must have done something wrong because it was chock full of flavor!

Yummy. Used the rest of the bacon fat and some chicken broth to sautee the chopped potatoes before adding to broth. They are way too firm if you do not roast/sautee first. If you do it this way cut bk to 1/2 tsp of salt.

Great flavor! I made half of this recipe cutting the basil by half and increasing the flour a bit per other reviewers’ suggestions. I think cooking the potatoes as I ordinarily would in simmering water would be much easier and faster, so next time I’ll try it that way to see if that makes a difference. But, I’ll definitely be making this again - we really enjoyed it!

This was so delicious. Great smoky bacon baked potato flavor. I doubled the bacon and used 4 small potatoes I'd microwaved. I used heavy cream and 2% milk. I simmered this about half an hour. I only used 1/2 onion. Sprinkled individual potions with chives (my hubby's idea) This was awesome! 5 stars for sure*****

WAY, way too much salt! Also, way to much basil. I will most likely try this again but without any added salt and only 1/4 tsp basil.

This is a delicious soup! I have made it a couple times and the second time round I learned that I would do a few things differently. Baking then peeling potatoes is a hassle. I think I would peel and boil or fry them next time. I also used more than 2 potatoes. In fact, I doubled everything else in the recipe and then added 7 potatoes. As per other reviewer's suggestions I used half basil and half thyme. I also mixed in some cheddar cheese and bacon with the soup and let it cook for a bit. Served with cheese, bacon green onions, parsley and sour cream. Also had a nice loaf of French bread to go with it. So delicious, not exactly healthy, but really... a gem. Even better the next day after thickening up.

This soup was so filling and hearty! My family loved it... even my 16 month old. Will definitely make this again!

DELICIOUS - TASTES JUST LIKE BLACK ANGUS. IF YOU DON'T LIKE SPICY DON'T ADD HTE HOT PEPPER SAUSE. THE BLACK PEPPER GIVES IT A NICE KICK. I ADDED 2 MORE LARGE POTATOES AND INCREASED THE BROTH TO 4 CUPS TOTAL. BETWEEN THE BROTH AND THE BACON YOU TRULY DON'T NEED 1 FULL TEASPOON OF SALT. SHOULD REALLY USE IT TO TASTE - WE HAD TO ADD A LITTLE MORE HALF AND HALF TO BRING DOWN THE SALT AS WELL AS A LITTLE WATER. THIS WAS TRULY A FAVORITE.

This was yummy! My husband raved over it. The only change I was was that I cooked the potatoes in the chicken broth and added the bacon, onions, and garlic to it. I would make this again on a cool day. Thanks for a great recipe.

I was impressed with this soup and am keeping it on my list of food to serve when I have company. I probably only used 1/2 tsp of dried basil, I also used soy milk instead of half-and-half (and omitted the cheese) to keep it lactose-friendly: all without sacrificing any taste!

I DOUBLED the recipe, left the skin on the potatoes, omitted the basil, and used a whole pound of diced cooked bacon, which I stirred into the soup at the very end of cooking time, along with 8 ounces of shredded cheddar cheese. My hubbie said it was the best potato soup he's ever had... and I agree!! Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe, Kristi! :)

This is a rich, delicious soup! We loved it! I added about 3/4 cup of shredded cheese to the soup itself while cooking. Yummy!

My husband thought this was pretty good. I took other reviewer's advice and added an additional tablespoon of flour. I also didn't have any dried basil, so I just chopped up some fresh basil instead. It seemed to work just fine.

i really like this recipe, i made it this wkend cause it was so cold. i added extra bacon and hot sauce. i also added chopped celery. i also mixed the bacon & cheese *into* the soup, rather than as a garnish...it made it pretty thick & hearty. i feel like pancetta might be a better option for me, since i'm not a huge bacon eater. will def make again!

Very good, I used a couple more potatoes and mashed them a bit to thicken up the soup..

Way too many flavors going on here, IMHO. Not your traditional potato soup either.

I made this soup and it is fabulous! After I read the reviews I took a few of your suggestions. I did bake the potatoes and they were a perfect consistancy. I cooked more bacon than it called for, next time I will cook a whole package. I used 2 cloves of garlic, and I used 1/2 cup of sour cream and 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream instead of the half and half cream. In place of the hot sauce which I did not have, we used hot pepper flakes. And I did make cheddar drop biscuits. We tore the biscuits and put them in the bottom of the bowl and then put the soup on top with the bacon and cheese. Next time I will have chopped green onion available. This is such a hearty and filling soup. One bowl was all we could manage. Definitely a keeper for us.

I used only one slice of bacon, but upped the oil with olive oil. Used only the red portion of the bacon once cooked, and added a sandwich sized thick-cut slice of ham during the bacon cooking phase of things. At the end, I also popped in some broccoli florets that we already had steamed. DH actually gave me a "pretty tasty" comment on this...so, it bears repeating. The ham I used was not overly "ham-ey" tasting, so even had I gone the bacon only route, we would still have liked. Oh! I did use only 1/2 tsp. dry basil. I think tarragon would have also worked well, if someone had to substitute something.

Absolutely fabulous with the crumbled bacon and shredded cheese! I made 10 servings, so I had to up the bacon drippings to 3 Tlbsp. I had read the other reviews and did cut back on the basil. My whole family loved it, even my 5yr old boy and 8yr old girl! I served with corn muffins, GREAT.

this was super easy. i popped the potatoes in the microwave for about 8 minutes and instead of using the bacon as a garnish i tore it up and cooked it in with the rest of the soup. deeeeelicious!

I added a green pepper and some celery. I used fat free sour cream instead of half and half. I also added some thyme and used less basil.

This is good, but I changed a couple of things. I made extra bacon, used heavy whipping cream instead of half and half and pureed the soup once it was done. Really good in a bread bowl or with crusty bread and a ceasar salad.

I mixed in the garnishes AND allowed some to add in even after that. There's no such thing as too much cheese, right?! This was super easy, deluxe, and perfect for a cold, winter day.

I used 6 potatos because hate ones I had were pretty small, no bacon, 2 extra cloves of garlic and added broccoli since i had it on hand. Awesome! It's baked potato soup- how could you go wrong?

not bad at all. it was the first time I had ever made potato soup. I thought it was a little peppery, but that could be my hormonal taste buds sneaking up on me. haha. will try this one again.

This was a fast and simple soup to prepare during a week night. Followed the ingredients exactly and thought the flavor was mild, but nice. My soup didn't really thicken up, but that was okay. Thanks for an easy weeknight recipe.

Loved!! I added 2 extra strips of bacon, 2 extra potatoes, and and extra tablespoon of flour. I also added a cup of chedder cheese. Soup does thicken once cooled. Excellent!!!

This is a great soup and a very forgiving dish. I began making this exactly as written and realized that I didn't have chicken broth. I used beef broth instead and it was very good. In reading other reviews I added 4 tbs of flour, a few more potatoes (with some skin) and 1 cup of cheddar cheese. I opted to stick with the full teaspoon of basil and added a dash of cayenne.

This soup is so delicious. I've never thought to put basil in a potato soup before and it is fabulous! I also add some cream cheese if I happen to have some for added creaminess. It's a great addition but totally not necessary!

I made this on a cold wet winter night and we loved it...I will make again.

Loved that is was so easy to make. A true '30 minute' recipe. I knew my husband would love it. Both of my kids loved it too. My son asked for a second bowl. Delicious with cheese bread. Great recipe. We will be keeping this one for sure and making again.

Yummy!!! I used a 5lb bag of potatoes and doubled everything. I cooked the potatoes first before adding to the soup and when I added the potatoes I put in 6 strips of bacon diced up. Didn't add any hot sauce, but needed to add a little more salt and cajun seasoning to our liking. Let everyone add their own cheese, bacon and sour cream. It was awesome!

deeeee-lish!! yummy yummy yummy! only things i didn't have were bacon, cheese (which i thot i did have), and half-and-half.. so i sauted in olive oil, also took someone's advise cuz i like it thick and used 4 tblsp flour and added thyme with less basil. made broth with consomme and had only red potatoes so used six of those to have more since they're so small.. replaced half-and-half with less amount of sour cream and a dash of milk.. garnished with only parsley cuz no cheese and bacon as previously mentioned. but i know it would've been so much better if i'd had those ingredients.. nethings better with bacon. mmmmmmmmmmm. but still 5 star even without.. or at least 4 1/2 cuz bacon makes things better alwz. it would've added on the 1/2 star. lol.

This was a little too salty so the next time I make it, and there WILL be a next time, I am going to half the amount of salt. Other than being a little on the salty side it was an amazing soup! I loved the depth the chicken stock added. Thanks for an awesome recipe!

Made this tonight for dinner with a fresh loaf of bread. Comfort food for a cold evening. After reading the reviews I decided to make a few changes. I used vegetable broth as my base, added a couple more potatoes, decreased the basil to 1/2 tsp, added a pinch of thyme, rosemary and smoky paprika. I also added more bacon and thickened a little with left over mashed potatoes. Served with cheese, sour cream, bacon and pepper sauce on the side. The changes are personal preference and is not a negative review of the original recipe. Thank you for sharing.

Loved this soup!!! Made it twice this week,learned what to change from the first time. I would recommend cutting the pepper and basil in half and adding 1 cup sour cream. Also threw in a hand full shredded cheddar cheese to the pot. My kids went nuts for this. Time saver,microwave the potatos and set in fridge for an hour.

I really enjoyed this soup, but like the prevous reviewer, I would cut back on the basil a bit. Don't leave it out completely though, because it does add a bit of a fresh flavor.

Excellent potato soup recipe. I didn't change a thing and all my dinner guests raved about how delicious this soup is. It's so creamy and tasty and easy to make! A definite keeper in my recipe file.

This has been my "go to" recipe for left-over baked potatoes. What a great soup! I've even used it for my vegetarian son, skipping the bacon and using vegetable broth...and he loved it! I ALWAYS follow the recipe as written the first time I make something to understand how it should turn out...and only start changing things for our own use after that. I think the reason I like this recipe so much is that I can cut the fat by using fat free half-and-half and fat-free cheese on the top. I also use the pre-cooked bacon crumbled on top and do not use bacon drippings to cook the onion and garlic. We have to watch our cholesterol. But these changes have NOT affected the wonderful soup that results.

Because I'm so sick (and today, quite short on time, as it turned out), I took the opportunity to make this recipe into a crockpot recipe. I doubled this and threw the raw (organic) potatoes into the crockpot with organic chicken broth and some fresh ground pepper and dried chives (instead of the basil). By the time I got home around one, the potatoes were ready. I mashed them with the potato masher for a more chunky soup, then added in the sauteed onion, garlic and bacon. Right before eating, I stirred in fat-free half in half (just a touch, not more than a quarter cup as I wanted that cream taste without it being too calorie-laden) and the hot sauce. This was quite simple and really gave me a hot, comforting potato soup that really helped with my sore throat and want of a comfort food. I appreciated that it was low cost to make, not only on the food budget but on the energy budget as well. I'll make this again soon.

This was fantastic as is. Next time around, I'll probably add more flour to have a little thicker consistency, and maybe try some sour cream to enhance that "baked potato" flavor, but this is a really great recipe. Thanks for sharing!

I made this exactly as written and I did not care for it. It did not taste like Potato Soup.... the flavor came from the chicken broth and seasonings. It seemed as though the potatoes were just there for a filler. I ususally make a diffrent recipe from this site when we want potato soup (Baked Potato Soup V) but, decided to try something diffrent..... I think I'll stick with the one that I always make. I feel like this needs a diffrent name because it does not taste like potato soup. It's not a bad soup it's just not potato soup.

Great soup! A real Keeper. I followed the advice of others, though, and mashed the potatoes and added cream (and a little sour cream). Also, I added the bacon as a garnish at the table, to keep it from getting soggy. Very yummy!

I hate when I try a recipe on allrecipes that is so highly rated but then tastes terrible. I followed the directions exactly and no one in my family liked this potato soup at all. The basil was over powering and there was not enough of a potato taste. It just tasted like chicken broth with cream and basil. I threw the whole pot out.

im only giving this a 4 * because it does not make 4 servings. It barely fed two adults and two kids. it was good though

Delicious. Everyone at home loved it. I doubled the recipe all except the hot pepper sauce and basil. I think it had enough "kick" but my son did add more hot sauce to his bowls. I also added about a cup of sour cream at the end.

I didn't make any changes to this recipe and it is awesome! I would give it more stars if I could. July has been one of the coolest on record here in Wisconsin this summer and this soup was perfect one rainy day. Believe me, this is high-end restaurant quality!

Very tasty soup! After I scooped the potato out of it's baked skin I brushed the skins with a little butter and toasted them in the oven. Then topped with a little cheese and toasted again. Very good accompaniment to the soup!

This was good! i doubled the recipe and made some alterations (only because I didn't have some of the right ingredients)I used the pre-cooked bacon so had to add some butter so the Rue had enough liquid. and i used sour cream and 1% milk instead of half & half. Very tasty! Husband even said good!