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Papas Potato Soup Recipe With Bacon

A creamy, smokey, bacon-y soup recipe from my childhood that is super easy in the crockpot. Stay warm with this comfort food classic.

A bowl of potato soup with bacon and scallions.

Lazy afternoons spent running through the sprinkler with Lora, roller skating, building mini mud forts for GI Joe is how I occupied my time and imagination in the fourth grade.  As the afternoon rolled into evening, my appetite would develop into curiosity, ‘what’s for dinner?’.  If I peeked into the front door and smelled bacon, I knew.  I KNEW my dads specialty was for dinner.  Potato Soup!

What’s so special about Potato Soup?  The bacon.  Just like ‘Paris is alway a good idea’, the same can be said of bacon.

This recipe is my all-time, above-all-other dinners, my absolute favorite dinners that my dad cooked.  I wonder if he knows that.  Hmmm…maybe I should tell him and thank him for these wonderful memories.   I wonder which side of his German family he learned this from.

A bowl of potato soup with bacon and scallions.

I am sharing this wonderful recipe from my pops with you.  I made this in a crockpot for convenience, my dad made this on the stove in a large pot.  Your choice.  Also, you don’t have to use chicken broth like I did, my dads recipe uses water and it was wonderful.

Potato Soup Recipe with bacon
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Bacon frying in the pan.
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More about potato soup.

Potato soup is now a common soup everywhere potatoes grow well. In the colder regions of northern Europe, potato soup in some variation is likely a local favorite as is with all root vegetables. Originally from Peru, the potato was brought back to Europe by the Spaniards in the 16th century.

In its simplest form, potato soup is made up of potatoes, water, salt and pepper. If you have ever tried this simple recipe, you will probably be surprised at how good this is. The taste of the potato comes out when it is allowed to shine.

Most recipes include milk or cream to give it more richness. My dad used milk. Bacon is also popular either in the soup or as a garnish. Broth has taken the place of water for another layer of flavor. You can keep adding layers of flavor with all of the umami tricks like cheese, anchovies or soy or just enjoy it for what it is.

For a Scandinavian traditional soup, try Farikal. It’s a delicious lamb and cabbage soup and the national dish of Norway.

How do you like your potato soup?

Did you make this recipe?  Don’t forget to rate the recipe and comment below!  Take a picture and tag us @FusionCraftiness #FusionCraftiness on Instagram for a chance to be featured in our Insta Stories:)

A bowl of potato soup with bacon and scallions.
A bowl of potato soup with bacon and scallions.

Papas Potato Soup Recipe With Bacon

Yield: 6 - 8 Bowls
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours
Total Time: 3 hours 30 minutes

A German classic potato soup with smokey bacon cooked in a crockpot.

Ingredients

  • 3 large Russet potatoes, peeled chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 6 slices cooked, smoked bacon, torn into pieces
  • 1 cup cream
  • Optional Garnish: green onion, bacon, shredded cheddar

Instructions

  1. Crockpot:  Place first three ingredients into crockpot and cook on high for 3-4 hours. Meanwhile, prepare your bacon and add to crockpot. Using a potato or bean masher, mash ingredients 10-15 times, add cream, stir, cook for one more hour. Optional garnishes: bacon pieces, green onion, shredded cheddar
  2. Stovetop: Place first three ingredients in a dutch oven and bring to a simmer.  Cook covered until potatoes are fork tender, about 20 minutes.  Mash potatoes until there are still some chunks.  Add cream and cooked bacon and bring back to a simmer.  Cook for an additional 10 minutes, stirring often.  Check for seasoning and add some water if necessary.  The soup will thicken as it simmers.  Garnish as desired.

Notes

  • I cook my bacon while the potatoes are simmering.  You could also use pre-cooked bacon pieces found by the croutons and bacon bits in the store.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1.5 cups
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 293Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 52mgSodium: 727mgCarbohydrates: 26gFiber: 3gSugar: 3gProtein: 10g

Did you make this recipe?

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Tymonee

Saturday 24th of October 2020

Making this for tonight for the family! It’s a good 65° here Texas.... that is soup weather, right? Thanks for sharing this recipe!

Tina

Sunday 25th of October 2020

Hey Ty$! Glad to hear scorch season is over. Absolutely, it's soup season, even in Texas!! Miss your beautiful face:)

Christine Neuendorf

Friday 18th of September 2020

My parents immigrated to here from Berlin in the late 50's. My Mama would make this and I loved it. She made it with bacon but would more often replace it with natural casing weiners cut up into chunks. My Mama died in 1987. I was 24 and never wrote down her receipes. One of my biggest regrets in life! I have managed to come close to many of the receipes just by comparing my memory and receipes I find on the internet. Thank you for sharing your Papa's receipe! I'm going to try it but with weiners and onions. I don't remember putting cream in it. But I will try it. Thanks again.

Tina

Tuesday 22nd of September 2020

What a heartwarming story,. I am sorry to hear of losing your Mother, I lost mine when I was 30. It warms my heart that this recipe brought back so many good memories. I am going to try it with the weiners and onions. What kind of weiners? Where do you find natural casing weiners? Thanks for the feedback Christine and for sharing your story!!

Addie

Sunday 25th of August 2019

What are the stovetop directions?

Tina

Monday 26th of August 2019

Hi Addie, I just updated the recipe to include the stovetop directions. Enjoy this wonderfully simple soup, it's my favorite. Let me know if you can't see the updates, you may need to refresh your browser. Thanks for your feedback:)

Nikki Krakauer

Saturday 1st of December 2018

I’m of German descent, & my father’s mother lived with us for my first four years. She immigrated here about 10 years before I was born, in the early 1940’s. She used to make this all the time, with two minor exceptions. One, she chopped the bacon, then sautéed it with the onion. (You’ll find most recipes for German food contain onions, my father, & I, never met an onion we didn’t like!). And, while cooking the potatoes, she added parsley. I love the stuff, & my friends often ask for it, when I suggest they come to lunch, or dinner.

Tina

Saturday 1st of December 2018

What a lovely memory Nikki. I don't know where my Dad learned how to make this. I like the addition of onions and parsley. I'm going to try that next time. Thanks so much!

Patti Winters

Friday 28th of October 2016

This soup looks amazing and so easy in a crock pot. But, everything is always better with bacon!

Tina

Friday 28th of October 2016

Ha ha, so true! I should just rename my site Bacon:)

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