Creamy Potato Soup Cheese Bacon

There's something about a bowl of creamy potato soup that stops time on a gray afternoon. I discovered this particular version on a day when the kitchen felt too quiet, and I needed something warm that would fill the house with the kind of smell that makes people linger in doorways. The bacon sizzled first, of course, and by the time I'd added the potatoes and cream, my doubts about the weather had completely disappeared.

I made this for my neighbor one November when she was recovering from something, and she ate it slowly, methodically, like it was doing actual healing work. That's when I realized this soup isn't just filling, it's the kind of dish people remember when they're feeling low. She asked for the recipe the next week, and now it's become her version of a good day.

Ingredients

• Russet potatoes (1 kg): These are your texture foundation, breaking down just enough to thicken the soup while keeping some body intact. Don't skip peeling them fresh, the starch is what makes the final texture sing.
• Beef bacon (150 g): Cook it until it's truly crispy and the fat renders out completely. That rendered fat is liquid gold for flavor, so don't drain all of it away.
• Onion, celery, and carrots: This is your aromatic base, and the combination matters more than perfect measurements. Chop everything roughly the same size so they cook evenly.
• Garlic (2 cloves): Minced fine, never burned, added just before the flour to wake up the other flavors without turning bitter.
• Butter (60 g): This adds richness where the bacon fat alone might feel one-dimensional. Use unsalted so you control the salt completely.
• Whole milk and heavy cream (750 ml and 250 ml): The ratio matters here, whole milk alone makes it taste thin, heavy cream alone makes it feel heavy. Together they create that perfect silky texture.
• Sharp cheddar and mozzarella cheese (150 g and 60 g): The sharp cheddar carries flavor, the mozzarella makes it melt smoothly without breaking. This pairing prevents graininess and gives you a clean, creamy finish.
• Chicken or vegetable broth (750 ml): Use something you'd actually taste on its own, not the sad salty version in a carton that's been sitting too long.
• All-purpose flour (2 tbsp): This is your thickening agent, cooked in fat first to remove any raw flour taste. Don't skip the cooking step or your soup tastes floury.
• Smoked paprika (½ tsp): This ingredient carries the weight of flavor when bacon isn't the star, giving the soup a subtle warmth that feels intentional.
• Salt and black pepper: Add gradually and taste constantly, you can always add more but you can't take it back.

Instructions

Crisp the bacon:

Cook your chopped beef bacon in a large pot over medium heat until it's truly crispy and the edges are dark brown. This takes longer than you think, about 8-10 minutes, but it's worth it for the flavor and the rendered fat.

Build your base:

Pour out most of the bacon fat but leave about 2 tablespoons in the pot, then add butter. Once it's melted and foaming, add your onion, celery, and carrots, stirring occasionally until everything softens and turns translucent, roughly 5 minutes.

Add the garlic:

Stir in your minced garlic and cook for exactly 1 minute, until the kitchen smells like you're cooking something real. Any longer and it burns, any shorter and it tastes raw.

Make your roux:

Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir constantly for 2 minutes, coating everything evenly. You're cooking out the raw flour taste and creating a thickening agent that won't clump later.

Add the broth:

Pour the chicken broth in slowly while stirring, scraping the bottom of the pot to lift up all the flavorful browned bits stuck there. Those bits are flavor, not mess.

Add potatoes and simmer:

Stir in your diced potatoes, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Bring the whole thing to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and let it bubble gently for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are so tender they fall apart when you look at them.

Partially mash:

Using a potato masher or immersion blender, break up about half the potatoes in the pot, leaving chunks intact. You're looking for a texture that's creamy but still has substance, not baby food.

Cream it down:

Stir in your milk and heavy cream, then let the whole soup simmer gently for 5 minutes to let everything get acquainted. This isn't a boil, just a gentle heat that brings the flavors together.

Add the cheese:

Add your shredded cheddar and mozzarella, stirring slowly and carefully until the cheese melts completely into the soup. If you rush this or overheat it, the cheese can separate and get grainy.

Return the bacon and finish:

Stir the crispy bacon back in, reserving some for garnish if you like. Taste the soup and adjust salt and pepper, remembering that it will taste slightly less seasoned when it cools a bit.

Serve:

Ladle into bowls and top with extra shredded cheddar, fresh chives, and those reserved bacon bits. The heat will melt the cheese on top just enough to make it luxurious.

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My daughter once told me that this soup tastes like what safety feels like, and I've thought about that description ever since. There's something about the combination of bacon, cheese, and potato that goes beyond flavor into actual comfort, the kind that wraps around you like a favorite sweater.

Why Partial Mashing Matters

You could use an immersion blender to make this completely smooth, but something important gets lost. By leaving some potato chunks intact, you're keeping texture and letting the soup feel more substantial on the spoon. The partially mashed potatoes also prevent the soup from becoming heavy or starchy-tasting, which happens when everything dissolves into a uniform puree. This is one of those moments in cooking where restraint creates something better than perfection.

The Bacon Fat Secret

Most people drain all the bacon fat and throw it away, which is a tragedy. That rendered fat carries the smoke flavor and richness that makes this soup taste like it took hours to make. Leaving 2 tablespoons in the pot means your soup has a baseline of flavor that cream alone can't provide. It's the difference between soup that tastes good and soup that tastes like someone actually cared while making it.

Storage and Serving

This soup keeps beautifully in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, and it actually tastes better the next day when the flavors have settled in and gotten cozy with each other. You can reheat it gently on the stove, adding a splash of milk if it's thickened too much as it sat in the cold. Frozen storage works too, though freeze it before you add the cheese and cream, then add those when you reheat it.

• If you're making this for a crowd, double the recipe and reheat it in a slow cooker to keep it warm without overcooking it.
• Add the bacon bits fresh as you serve rather than stirring them in ahead, so they stay crispy instead of getting soft and sad.
• A spoonful of sour cream on top of each bowl adds a subtle tang that brightens all the rich flavors without making the soup taste different.

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Creamy potato soup with bacon and cheese is the kind of dish that stays in your cooking rotation because it works every time and tastes like genuine care. Make it when you want to feed someone, or just when you want to feed yourself, and it will deliver exactly what you're looking for.

Recipe Questions & Answers

→ What type of potatoes work best for this soup?

Russet potatoes are ideal due to their high starch content, which helps create a creamy texture when partially mashed.

→ Can I use a different type of bacon?

Turkey bacon or other cured meats can be substituted, though beef bacon offers a distinct smoky richness that complements the soup.

→ How do I achieve the creamy texture without making it too thick?

Partially mashing the potatoes while leaving some chunks, combined with milk and cream, balances smoothness with texture.

→ Is there a way to make this suitable for gluten-free diets?

Use gluten-free flour and broth to maintain thickness and flavor without gluten concerns.

→ What garnishes enhance the flavor of this dish?

Chopped chives or green onions add fresh brightness, and extra shredded cheddar adds a savory finish.

→ How can I add more smoky flavor to the dish?

Adding an extra pinch of smoked paprika or a dollop of sour cream can enhance the smoky notes.