Slow Cooker Potato Soup Recipe

You know how "morning you" thanks "evening you" when you took the time to straighten up, do the dishes, and make the coffee before bed so your day starts off that much more pleasantly? With this soup, dinnertime you will be simply thrilled that morning you took the time to prepare it. Oh, and that prep takes about ten minutes, FYI, then it simmers in the slow cooker for eight savory hours (or four on a higher cooking temperature).

Here's the thing: As tasty as this simple-to-make slow cooker potato soup is, chef and food writer Laura Sampson of Little House Big Alaska says: "The toppings make this soup, so everyone can pick and choose their favorites. Use onions, chives, sour cream, shredded cheeses, leftover chopped veggies, leftover meats, croutons, and so on — you really can't go wrong."

This soup is hearty enough, when well-topped, to be a meal in and of itself. Sampson adds that: "A big thick wedge of bread would make this bowl of soup sheer perfection. And a salad for a bit of refreshment goes along with this soup really well too."

A quick word of warning: Serve it as an appetizer at your own peril because your guests may end up full after the first course!

Remember that the ingredients here are for the base of this slow cooker potato soup, but the toppings make the meal. You have a lot of options to work with here, but with chives, cheddar, chopped bacon, and more can be delicious when you add it to this soup. However, the base ingredients you need include two 32-ounce bags of frozen southern-style diced hash browns, 32 ounces of chicken broth, a 12-ounce can of evaporated milk, a one and 1/2 cans of cream of mushroom soup, one teaspoon of garlic powder, one teaspoon salt, and a half teaspoon of black pepper.

Also, feel free to use a vegetable broth if you want to make a vegetarian-friendly soup.

Empty both bags of diced potatoes into the slow cooker and spread them out evenly, then pour in the 32 ounces of chicken broth (or your preferred broth), and stir to mix them. Now, turn on the slow cooker and set it to low if you have eight hours in which to simmer your soup (which is ideal, FYI) or to high if you need to serve it up in closer to four hours.

Remember that not all slow cookers cook the same way. "I always caution people to make this first on a day when they can be home to watch it and make sure it doesn't cook too fast or too slowly," says Laura Sampson. "That way, they can gauge how it works best for their [slow cooker] and go from there in the future."

In a decent-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the evaporated milk and the cream of mushroom soup, and then toss in the salt, garlic powder, and black pepper. Mix everything together for a few seconds, and then pour the mix into the slow cooker over the potatoes. Use a flexible spatula to get as much of this mix out of the bowl as you can.

Now, it's time to cover the slow cooker and let it do its thing, remembering to check now and then to be sure it's not cooking off too much liquid, especially if this is the first time you're making the dish. You can cut the heat and/or add a bit of broth if that seems to be the case.

Your work on the base soup is done, but you might as well chop your choice of toppings. Cut up your chives, dice your onions, shred your cheese, and so on. When you're done, you can store your toppings in the fridge until your soup is ready. As for the soup, once it's ready, serve as is or, if want, puree it with a hand blender to give it a smoother consistency.

Serve your slow cooker potato soup in bowls, top as you want (or let your diners do it themselves), and enjoy the heartiness. Again, this soup is surprisingly filling, so be ready to be full fast.