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We’re finally heading into fall in the desert southwest with temperatures that look to be staying under 90 degrees for the rest of the year. This means it’s time to whip out the soup recipes!

One of my favorites is baked potato soup. It gets extra brownie points because I can put it all in the crockpot in the early afternoon and have everything ready by dinner time.

The original recipe that I found didn’t specify that you’re supposed to mash up the potatoes, and while I do like chunks of potato in the finished soup, I don’t like the whole thing to be nothing but. It’s easy enough to do by using a regular potato masher right in the crockpot after the potatoes have cooked for several hours, and preferably right before you add in the dairy ingredients.

If you’re vegetarian, you can easily omit the bacon and use vegetable broth instead of chicken.

Baked Potato Soup

6 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 onion, finely chopped
4 (10.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
2 chicken bouillon cubes
5 large potatoes, diced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups half-and-half cream

Cook bacon in a skillet until evenly brown. Remove from skillet and place on paper towels to drain. When fully cooled, cover and refrigerate the bacon. Drain all but a tablespoon or so of the bacon grease from the skillet and place chopped onions in to cook until soft.

Transfer onions to a slow cooker, and stir in chicken broth, bouillon cubes, potatoes, salt, and pepper. Cover, and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours, stirring occasionally.

Using a potato masher, mash the cooked potatoes in the slow cooker until desired consistency is reached (you can also use an immersion blender, or transfer some of the potatoes and broth to a blender for a smoother texture, and put back into the crockpot when done).

In a bowl, whisk together the flour and half-and-half. Stir into the soup. Add cooked bacon. Cover, and cook another 30 minutes before serving. Serve with shredded cheddar cheese and chopped chives.

 Print this recipe!

Forgive the picture, this one doesn’t photograph very well!

One of Mike’s favorite restaurant foods when he lived in South Dakota was Chicken Tortilla Soup from Ground Round. I got to have it one time when we flew out to see his family, and it was really good. We don’t have Ground Rounds out here so it’s been at least 12 years since we last had it.

Anyway, he mentioned a couple of weeks ago that he was craving it, so I went online and found a “copycat” recipe for it. I adapted it for the crockpot and surprised him with it, and it was a huge hit. Even the kids, who aren’t that crazy about soup, loved it!

Chicken Cheese Tortilla Soup

1 pound cubed chicken breast
2 cans Campbell’s “Fiesta Nacho Cheese” condensed soup
2 cans condensed cream of chicken soup
2 cups milk
2 cans (about 14 oz each) mild enchilada sauce
Crushed tortilla chips
Shredded cheddar cheese

Gently boil the chicken breast until cooked through and shred or cube. Combine all ingredients except the tortilla chips and cheddar cheese and place in crockpot.

Let cook on low for about four hours, stirring occasionally as it will burn easily. Crush tortilla chips and place in bowl, ladle soup over top. Sprinkle top with shredded cheddar cheese.