There is this restaurant in Welland that makes a pot of loaded baked potato soup that is to die for. It is thick and rich and sticks to your ribs. I don’t think I ever finished a whole bowl but that made Jonny happy knowing he could finish it for me.
When I realized I had a gluten sensitivity it was one of my favorite foods I had to give up (along with bagels) and although they had many gluten free options on their menu, I was sad to see I couldn’t have the soup. I was determined to create a copycat recipe that was gluten free.
I have to be honest that this isn’t the same as the restaurant version. Nothing will be the same. But it comes close and because I cut back on the cream and butter from the original version its a little more guilt free (so I can eat it more often).
I have to give credit where it is due. It was not me that came up with this recipe. It was Jonny. He knew how bad I had been craving it so when I got home one day he was slaving away over this amazingly filling and perfect baked potato soup.
Like most home cooks he doesn’t measure anything so did some testing and a couple substitutions and came up with this recipe.
You can decide how chunky or smooth you want your soup. You can take an emersion blender to it to get a really creamy smooth consistency if that’s your thing. I like a mostly smooth soup with some pieces of potato to bite into.
- 1 12oz pack of bacon
- 1½ cups chopped onion
- ⅓ cup butter
- 6 cups chicken broth (extra points if you use homemade)
- 1 cups whipping cream
- 2 lbs baking potatoes cubed and peeled (peeling optional) Russet or other baking potatoes work best
- 2 Tbsp potato starch (or corn starch)
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar
- ¼ cup green onions, chopped
- Cook the bacon until crispy, crumble and set aside. Drain off the bacon fat.
- Add butter and saute the onion until translucent
- Add the broth, cream and cubed potatoes
- Allow to simmer until the potatoes are soft and falling apart
- To thicken more stir the potato starch to a some broth, cream or water and add to the soup
- Stir in about ¾ of the cheese and bacon
- Serve soup with more cheese, green onion and bacon on top
Kaila (GF Life 24/7) says
It was so great to find your blog through gluten free fir days. Now, I can’t have a lot of the ingredients in this soup, but I have celiac disease, so I absolutely appreciate the work that goes into making a recipe gluten free. And, I’ll share it with some of my aunts and uncles who have celiac, and no additional food allergies!
I love bacon, so that makes this dish a winner from the start. But, it looks as though you’ve keyed in on the creamy texture and perfect blend of seasoning. Thanks for sharing, and I hope you have af un weekend!
Andrea Mabee says
Bacon makes everything delicious! I have made this recipe dairy free as well by using all broth and no sour cream or cheese. Instead of frying the onion in butter I left a little more of the bacon fat in the pan instead. Also, nutritional yeast adds a nice cheesy flavor and daiya melted in really nice.
But I am just assuming that dairy is what you can’t have. I have an unstable relationship with dairy lol.
April J Harris says
Your Loaded Baked Potato Soup looks amazing! I like the idea of leaving a bit of texture with some of the pieces of potato in there too. By the way, I come from Ontario originally – and I have cousins who live in Welland 🙂 Thank you for being a part of the Hearth and Soul Hop!
Andrea Mabee says
No way! What a small world! Most people have never even heard of welland :p