Comforting Instant Pot Loaded Potato Soup

One of the best things on a cold winter day is some warm, comforting, soup. This comforting Instant Pot loaded potato soup will warm you up on any frigid day. (When you live in the Midwest, like I do, you kind of have to get used to below zero temperatures in the winter). I initially made this recipe with sweet potatoes, but decided to use red potatoes instead. Don’t get me wrong, I love sweet potatoes, but they just weren’t right for this recipe. This soup turned out amazing. Even my four children, who don’t ever like soup, loved it. They all actually had seconds. An exact quote from my 8 year old son, “Mom this soup is amazing, well, except the carrots. You know I don’t like cooked carrots mom.” (Well, it’s not all about you bud. Sometimes mom gets to make something she likes. Ha!).

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3 tips for making soup in an Instant Pot

1. Use the sauté function to cook vegetables first: This helps to make sure your vegetables are cooked through, but also deepens the flavor of your soup through browning/caramelization. In this loaded potato soup recipe, I actually sauté the onions and carrots in the bacon grease that I got from cooking my perfectly cooked bacon for the soup. This adds a bunch of flavor too.
2. Add dairy after you have cooked the rest of the ingredients in the instant pot: It’s important to add any dairy after you have cooked the rest of the ingredients, in order to avoid curdling. In this comforting Instant Pot loaded potato soup, I added the roux and cheese mixture after I cooked the rest of the soup.
3. Do not over fill the Instant Pot: Each Instant Pot has a line on the inside of the pot that says pcmax fill- 2/3. There is also a 1/2 line. When making soup, just make sure you don’t go past he pcmax fill- 2/3 line. This could result in poorly cooked food, leakage or splatter when you release the valve.

Choosing the right potato for this comforting instant pot loaded potato soup

Like I said, I initially made this soup with sweet potatoes, but I decided sweet potatoes weren’t right for this recipe. It might have been okay if I did half sweet potatoes and half red potatoes, but I wanted to use all red potatoes. You could certainly make this soup with golden potatoes, since both golden potatoes and red potatoes both have a mild buttery flavor. Russet potatoes would be okay, but I am not a fan of russet potatoes in general. Russet potatoes have more of a neutral flavor, plus red potatoes are a little healthier because they have a higher percentage of B vitamins, minerals, vitamin C and fiber. Red potatoes also contain fewer carbohydrates and calories. I personally only used russet potatoes if I am making my creamy and delicious mashed potatoes, although I love to use golden or red potatoes for my mashed potatoes too.

I feel like all potatoes have a bad reputation for being bad for you. They aren’t bad for you, you just have to eat the correct portion size and don’t overload them with too much butter and sour cream. In my opinion, you should completely eliminate sour cream from your diet and use plain whole milk Greek yogurt. In fact, I don’t use sour cream anymore at all. Potatoes are actually a good source of vitamins and minerals. If you want to read all about potatoes, check out these links:

Healthiest Potatoes: 4 Varieties Ranked by Nutrient Density

Potato Nutrition Guide: Which Potatoes Are the Healthiest?

The Ultimate Guide to Different Types of Potatoes

Comforting Instant Pot Loaded Potato Soup

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• Author: Lisa
• Total Time: 18 minutes
• Yield: 10 to 12 servings 1x

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Description

This soup is fantastic.  It has a lot of flavor and is super comforting on a cold day.  The leftovers are perfect for freezing, although, you probably won’t have much leftover.

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Ingredients

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• 1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1 medium sized onion, diced
• 1 1/2 cups carrots, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 8 cups chicken broth
• 7–8 large red potatoes (about 3 pounds), peeled and diced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup flour
• 3 cups whole milk
• 5 cups sharp cheddar cheese

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Instructions

1. Cook bacon.  You can cook it in the instant pot on the sauté function, but I like to use my perfectly cooked bacon recipe.  If you cook in the instant pot chop it up before putting it in the instant pot to cook.  Once cooked, set cooked bacon aside and leave grease in the instant pot.  If you use my perfectly cooked bacon recipe, transfer grease from the cookie sheet to the instant pot.
2. Turn on sauté function on the instant pot.  Add onions and carrots and cook for 5 to 6 minutes.  Add garlic, salt and pepper and cook for another minute.
3. Add chicken broth, potatoes, ground thyme, and bay leaves.
4. Place lid on instant pot and cook for 8 minutes on high pressure. 
5. While soup is cooking you will make the roux.  Melt butter in a saucepan.  Add flour and cook for 2 minutes while stirring constantly.  Add milk and whisk until thickened, about 5 minutes. 
6. Remove from heat and add cheese.  Stir until cheese is melted.
7. Once instant pot is done cooking, quick release and remove bay leaves.
8. Add cheesy roux and stir until combined.  
9. Add crumbled bacon and stir.
10. Top with more cheese, bacon and/or crackers if desired.

Notes

• Cooking the bacon ahead of time and waiting until the end to add it back in will ensure that your bacon won’t be soggy.  No one wants soggy bacon.
• Make sure that your carrots and potatoes are all the same size when diced. This is important because if some are bigger, they might not be cooked all the way through.
• This makes a big batch, so the leftovers are perfect for freezing in individual containers. My husband loves when I make a big batch of soup because then he will have a lot of soup to pick from in the freezer for his lunch during the week. 
• I like to make freezer meals for other people, whether that’s for friends or family.  I find these disposable containers are perfect.  They are just the right size for individual portions and since they are technically disposable, no one has to worry about getting the container back to me.

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 8 minutes