Creamy cheddar potato soup
Soft potatoes simmered in broth, mashed right in the pot and stirred with milk and sharp cheddar, like a baked potato you eat with a spoon.
- 40 min total
- 15 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 4
- About $2.26 a serving
- 500 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegetarian
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 2 lb russet potatoes
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 1½ cups milk
- 1½ cups cheddar cheese, grated
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced (optional)
- ½ cup sour cream (optional)
From your pantry
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1½ tsp salt, divided
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp black pepper
Each serving has about 500 calories, 19 g protein, 56 g carbs and 23 g fat, and costs about $2.26 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No russet potatoes? Yukon gold potatoes work.
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No vegetable broth? Chicken broth works.
- No milk? Half-and-half works.
- No cheddar cheese? Shredded cheddar or monterey jack cheese or mexican blend cheese works.
- No green onions? Chives work.
- No sour cream? Plain greek yogurt works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the potatoes and cut them into ¾-inch . the onion.
Peel. Peeling means removing the skin with a vegetable peeler or a small knife. It takes off tough or bitter skins, though potato and carrot skins are fine to leave on unless the recipe insists.
How you’ll know: The color underneath is even all over, with no patches of skin left behind.
Cube. Cubing means cutting food into chunky, even squares, usually three quarters of an inch to an inch. Same-size cubes cook at the same speed and brown on every side.
How you’ll know: Your pieces look like a handful of sugar cubes, a little bigger than diced, all close to the same size.
Dice. Dicing means cutting food into small, even cubes, usually a quarter to half an inch across. Pieces the same size cook at the same speed, so nothing burns while the rest catches up.
How you’ll know: Your pieces are little cubes about the size of a chickpea, and they all look close to the same.
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and ½ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, 5 minutes, until soft.
Medium heatTimer: 5 min
Stir in the garlic powder and flour and cook, stirring, 1 minute.
Medium heatTimer: 1 min
Slowly pour in the broth, stirring to smooth out the flour, then add the potatoes and the rest of the salt. over high heat.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
, cover, and 15 minutes, until the potatoes break apart when poked with a spoon.
Reduce the heat. It means turning the burner down, usually to medium-low or low, so food cooks gently instead of hard. Electric burners cool slowly, so lift the pan off for a moment if it’s bubbling hard.
How you’ll know: Within a minute the bubbling calms to a gentle simmer, or the sizzle turns quiet.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Low heatTimer: 15 min
Mash the potatoes right in the pot with a potato masher or sturdy fork until mostly smooth, with some chunks left.
Dolly’s tip: No masher? A whisk or the back of a big spoon works too. A few chunks are part of the charm.Stir in the milk and cheddar over low heat until the cheese and the soup is steaming. Don’t let it bubble.
Melt. Melting means gently heating something solid, like butter or cheese, until it turns liquid. Low or medium heat keeps it from browning or burning.
How you’ll know: It’s smooth and liquid, and butter may foam a little but hasn’t turned brown.
Low heat
Dolly’s tip: Boiling can make cheese soup grainy, so keep it just below a bubble.with the pepper, taste for salt, and ladle into bowls with green onions and a spoonful of sour cream.
Season. Seasoning means adding salt, pepper or spices to bring out a food’s flavor. A little at a few stages tastes better than a lot all at the end.
How you’ll know: When you taste it, it tastes bright and like itself, not flat and not salty.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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One-pan dinners ›Vegetarian dinners ›What to make with potatoes and cheddar ›