I’ve been holding on to this potato soup recipe for months now because I kept forgetting to take pictures. I’m usually trying to make it for a quick lunch and it totally slips my mind.
This weekend I grabbed some pictures while I made this for a quick lunch on Saturday. With 90% chance it’s going to snow in the Carolinas today, it is the perfect chance to share. It’s ridiculously easy with just a few ingredients. It’s naturally gluten-free and perfect for lunch on a snowy day.
I based this recipe on this one but substituted the celery (which I rarely have on hand) and added some cheese.
You start by peeling and cubing one potato per person. I find that two large potatoes will actually feed the four of us.
Put the potatoes in a pot. I use my cast iron dutch oven.
Chop 1/4 cup of onion per person and add to the potatoes. I find that one small onion is perfect for two people.
If you have it, chop 1/4 cup of celery per person and add to the potatoes and onions. If you don’t have celery, like I often don’t, use 1/2 teaspoon of celery salt.
Here’s what it looked like this weekend when I used celery salt.
Add water to the pot until the vegetables are almost covered but not quite.
Put the burner on high and wait for it to boil. Once it’s boiling, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 25 minutes or until the vegetables are soft but not falling apart.
Smash the potatoes, leaving chunks. How much you mash is really up to your texture preferences. My kids don’t like big lumps in their soup so I mash mine into small chunks. Don’t mash too much, though, or you’ll have runny mashed potatoes.
Now it’s time for cream. It really doesn’t matter what kind of cream. It could be milk, it could be half and half, it could be cream, it could be any combination of it that you want. Personally, I use full heavy cream when I have it. Pour in 1/4 up per person.
Here’s an optional, but yummy step. Add in 1/3 cup of grated cheddar cheese per person. Stir until melted.
Now, add a bit of pepper and salt generously. I am always shocked by how much salt this needs. If it’s bland, you don’t have enough. If it doesn’t leave you wanting another bite, you don’t have enough. I salt until I can feel the salt on the side of my tongue. I’m sure that’s not very proper cooking instruction, but it works for me.
As soon as the cheese is melted. it should be ready to serve.
When I have bacon, I crumble some on the top. Yum.
This whole process usually only takes me about 40 minutes start to finish with only about 15 minutes hands-on time. It’s truly become my default lunch option that is fully kid-approved. Add a quick green salad and call lunch done.
