Canned green chiles and jalapenos bring effortless zing to this fiery, yet comforting Zesty Baked Potato Soup.
Baked Potato Soup is easily in my top 10 favorite soups to make. It’s simple, uses ingredients that are easy to acquire, and has a comforting, rustic vibe. Baking the potatoes beforehand adds a beautiful texture to the soup that cannot be achieved by simply cooking the potatoes in the soup. The texture is crumbly yet firm, eagerly soaking up the flavors of the soup while also acting as a thickening agent. No bite is uniform, offering a texturally interesting and tasty experience.
As good as plain old Baked Potato Soup is, I love spicing it up. In keeping the soup simple, adding canned green chiles and jalapenos bring an effortless heat to this Zesty Baked Potato Soup. And it pairs perfectly with two of my favorite soup toppers - shredded cheese and bacon bits.
How do you make Baked Potato Soup?
As you may have inferred, the key ingredient and preparation are derived from the name of the dish. The first step is to bake 2 pounds of Russet potatoes (about 5 or 6 potatoes). It’s all downhill after that step is out of the way. You can even prepare for this soup in advance - go ahead and use leftover baked potatoes from last night’s dinner.
Scoop the interior of the potato from the skin and set aside until your soup base has been completed. You will not need the potato skins.
For the soup base you’ll need:
- Onion
- Butter
- Chicken or vegetable stock
- Canned green chile
- Canned jalapeno
- Garlic powder
- White pepper
- Salt
- Crema or sour cream
That’s it! The seasonings are, of course, negotiable :).
What goes with Zesty Baked Potato Soup?
Glad you asked! If you’re looking for accouterment for your soup, I highly recommend shredded cheddar cheese and bacon bits. You may also want to tame the heat with an additional drizzle of cream or dollop of sour cream. And if it’s not hot enough for you, mix in a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce. You can also brighten it up with some freshly chopped chives.
They say chili is better the next day. I think this may also be true for Zesty Baked Potato Soup. The heat of this soup intensifies overnight. Keep this in mind when deciding how much jalapeno to add. For me the heat from 2 (4 ounce) cans of hot jalapenos was perfect. But I like it hot so you may want to use restraint and only use 1 can. Sour cream and crema only take the edge off so much if you overdo the heat.
How long does Zesty Baked Potato Soup last?
Since there is dairy in this soup, store it in a sealed container in the refrigerator and use within 3-4 days.
If you like this you should try:
Creamy Baked Sweet Potato Soup
Zesty Baked Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Russet potatoes, baked (or 5-6 potatoes)
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 2-3 tbsp butter (I used salted butter)
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 3 4 ounce cans diced green chile
- 1-2 4 ounce cans diced jalapeno
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ cup cream or sour cream
- salt*, to taste
Instructions
- Scoop the baked potato from the skins and set aside.
- Add 2-3 tablespoons of butter to a large Dutch oven over medium heat and let melt. Add finely diced onion. Cook until onions are softened, 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock, 3 (4 ounce) cans diced green chiles, 1-2 (4 ounce) can(s) diced jalapenos, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, and ¼ teaspoon white pepper to the Dutch oven. Bring to a simmer for 5 minutes.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and buzz with a stick blender. I don’t go for perfectly smooth as I like it a little rustic.
- Add 1 ½ cups cheddar cheese and stir until melted.
- Bring the heat back up to medium (a gentle simmer) and add the baked potatoes. Continue cooking for another 10 minutes.
- Reduce heat to low and stir in ½ cup cream or sour cream.
- Serve. Garnish with shredded cheese or bacon bits.
Notes
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