Creamy Potato & Caramelized Onion Soup
This creamy potato soup is rich and silky. The creamy texture is balanced by the caramelized onions and crunchy bacon. It's great as a starter or main course! This recipe is easy to customize for those who don't like onions, and it's easy to make vegetarian - and all variations can easily be made at the same time!
Equipment
- Dutch oven or large pot large oval recommended
- Saute pan with lid medium to large size
Ingredients
Caramelized Onions
- 2 medium onions sliced (about 4 cups when sliced)
- ⅓ cup water
- 2 teaspoon olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 pinch baking soda (less than ⅛ tsp)
- 2 teaspoon water
Soup
- 2 lbs potatoes peeled, diced large
- 5 strips bacon chopped
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup heavy cream
Instructions
Caramelized Onions
- Combine onions, ⅓ cup water, 2 teaspoon olive oil, and ¼ teaspoon salt in a saute pan.
- Bring to a boil. Cover and cook until the water evaporates (about 7 minutes).
- Remove cover. Reduce heat to medium. Spread onions evenly in the pan. Try to keep the onions in a single layer.
- Stir every 2 minutes until onions are soft, brown, and a little bit sticky (about 13 minutes). Try to keep the onions evenly distributed after each stir.
- Combine a pinch of baking soda with 2 teaspoon water. Add to onions. Stir constantly until the water evaporates.
- Transfer onions to a bowl and set aside. Tip: For easier clean-up later, deglaze the pan with some water now and set it aside.
Soup
- Cook the bacon in a large dutch oven or other large pot over medium heat. Stir frequently. Remove bacon and set aside on a paper towel lined plate.
- Add potatoes to the pot. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt.
- Cook the potatoes, stirring frequently, until most of the potatoes begin to get a little bit of brown on them. (Note: If you are using a tall, narrow stock pot, you may need to cook the potatoes in batches. They should be close to a single layer, max two.)
- Deglaze the pot by adding 1 cup of the chicken stock and scraping the browned bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon.
- Add remaining 3 cups chicken stock, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon paprika, and 1 teaspoon parsley. The potatoes should be fully covered by the stock.
- Bring to a boil. Boil until potatoes are fully cooked through (pierce with a fork to test).
- Turn off heat. Remove the pot from the burner (or it will continue to boil and will splatter).
- Carefully puree the soup with an immersion blender.
- Stir in the heavy cream.
- Top with bacon and caramelized onions before serving.