Popular Potato Soup

Michelle Nielsen

Every time I take this soup somewhere I get asked for the recipe.  Every. Time. In fact, I took it to the Relief Society Quilting Day benefiting the refugees in November 2016 and gave the recipe away to several sisters on the spot. I've noticed that Paula Deen shares it online, but for the record I was making it long before Paula Deen....   It's a great base for any type of soup - have some leftover cooked broccoli and carrots? Use a few less potatoes and throw them in! How about leftover ham or sausage or green beans? You can include those too! Just call it "Potato Vegetable Ham Sausage Soup" instead.....

About 8 cups potatoes, peeled and diced or 1 bag frozen southern style hashbrowns

1-2 celery stalks, diced

Dried minced onion to taste

1/4 tsp. pepper

3 (14 1/2 oz.) cans chicken broth

1 (10 3/4 oz.) can condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted

1 (8 oz.) cream cheese, room temperature

Cooked, crumbled bacon  (I use the Bacon Crumbles sold precooked and crumbled at Costco)

Grated cheddar cheese

In a slow cooker, combine potatoes, celery, onion, chicken broth, chicken soup, and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or until potatoes are tender (less time is needed if using frozen hashbrowns - also soup tends to be a little runnier if using hashbowns.) Cut cream cheese into small pieces and add to soup, stir until blended. Top individual servings with bacon and cheese.