Potato and Bacon Soup Recipe: A Traditional American Soup

Potato and bacon soup is absolutely delicious! The potatoes add substance and texture, while the bacon gives the soup satisfying saltiness and flavour. Many recipes for this soup also include cheese, as does ours. Often, people use Velveeta cheese, although we use cheddar as it is more widely available to us, and we enjoy both the flavour and the texture.

Potato and bacon soup is one of the most popular soups in America, along with soups such as shrimp bisque, mushroom soup, and cream of tomato soup. The slightly yellow colour of the soup comes from adding a little cayenne pepper to the dish, although that is an optional ingredient. You could also consider using paprika or smoked paprika in the soup.

You can choose whether to use smoked or unsmoked bacon in your soup. We enjoy the smoky flavour of smoked bacon, so that is our preference. Alternatively, use bacon lardons, prosciutto, or another ham product you enjoy.

Here is our easy and delicious potato and bacon soup recipe.

Useful Information

Ingredients for the Potato and Bacon Soup

• 8 thick slices of bacon (Smoked or unsmoked to suit your preference)
• 4 potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 celery stalks, trimmed and sliced
• 1 litre of chicken or vegetable stock
• 3 oz. grated Cheddar cheese
• 50 ml double cream
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

How to Make the Potato and Bacon Soup

1. Add the bacon to a frying pan over medium-high heat and cook for approximately 10 minutes, occasionally turning so it is evenly crispy.
2. Remove the bacon from the pan and set aside on a plate with kitchen paper to absorb the grease. Leave to cool, then chop the bacon into pieces. 
3. While the bacon is cooking, prepare the other ingredients.
4. Add some olive oil to a large saucepan over medium heat on the hob, then add the diced carrots, onion, and celery.
5. Cook for approximately four minutes, until the ingredients soften but do not brown, then add the potatoes, stock, and cayenne pepper to the pan. 
6. Increase the heat to bring the soup to a boil, then reduce to low heat and simmer for 15 minutes until the potatoes are tender. 
7. Stir in three-quarters of the cheese and bacon, retaining the rest to garnish the soup. 
8. Add the double cream and stir through, then season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook for another minute to warm through, then serve immediately with a garnish of grated cheddar and chopped crispy bacon. 

Additional Tips

• Use an alternative cheese if you prefer.
• You might like to try adding some chopped parsley for extra flavour. 
• To add another texture, cut some potatoes into thin strips, then fry before adding to the soup as a crunchy topping.
• You might also like to add some croutons for some crunch or simply eat the soup with your favourite bread. 
• If you enjoy the potato and bacon soup recipe, you might also like to try our recipe for leek and potato soup, cock-a-leekie, kartoffelsuppe, or spinach and potato soup. 

Did you enjoy this recipe? Let us know in the comments below.