Potato Garlic Soup

I love the versatility of soup. A cup of soup can serve as a satisfying appetizer. A bowl of soup can make a great entree. While canned soups are popular for their budget-friendly convenience, they are jam packed with sodium. What most people don’t realize is that homemade soups are an easy, one pot meal that–in most cases–can go from cutting board to table in less than 20 minutes.

When it comes to soup, the heartier the better for me. I like my soups to be chockablock full of goodness.

When the rains return to Oregon, so do my cravings for a hearty soup. So when the first couple days of fall came in like a lion and offered up plenty of stormy weather, soup for lunch was the first thing I wanted. The challenge was, I only had 25 minutes to get it on the table before my husband started his lunch break. So off to the fridge and pantry I went.

I had potatoes on hand, which is always a great option. I mean, who doesn’t love a Loaded Baked Potato Soup? However, the problem is that the bacon I had was frozen, the potatoes were raw and without those two ingredients, it really isn’t a “loaded” soup.

So Plan B was Potato Garlic. My husband makes amazing Garlic Mash Potatoes, so I thought, why not a soup with the same profile? I searched the web, skimmed a few recipes, then adapted to make my own version of Potato Garlic Soup with what I had on hand.

What I found in the process is that Potato Garlic Soup is quick and simple, but the depth of flavors make you think it cooked for hours. A win win in my book.

Potato Garlic Soup

Recipe by Kacey Baxter, Oven and SpiceCourse: SoupCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Ingredients

• 1 large shallot, diced

• 1 tbs butter, salted

• 3 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

• 3 cups chicken broth*

• ½ cup heavy cream

• 1 ½ pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  

Directions

• Melt 1 tablespoon butter in Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook shallot until softened, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and flour and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in broth, cream, and potatoes and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until potatoes are tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Process soup with a blender until desired consistency. Smooth with a few potato chunks for texture is preferred. Return soup to pot and season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with chives, scallion greens, oil or sour cream.

Notes

• * For a vegetarian version, substitute vegetable broth