Better than Panera’s, (and so says my mother-in-law) this rustic baked potato soup starts with actual baked potatoes for more flavor and texture. It’s creamy and more-ish!
My wonderful mother-in-law doesn’t cook much for herself anymore, especially now after recovering from two successive broken legs (first the left, then when that healed, the right!) and two and a half months in rehab. So we’ve been cooking and bringing her meals to reheat as she needs them.
Occasionally she asks me to run to the nearby Panera to pick her favorite rustic baked potato soup. It’s not a big serving still costs $7.99 but, hey, she needs the calories and nutrition so I would never object. But then it occurred to me that I could probably make a copy cat version MUCH cheaper. The great news is she likes mine better! Win-win.
Rustic Baked Potato Soup
The Panera Bread soup upon which this is modeled offers two options for topping, extra (or less) Asiago cheese and the addition of bacon for an extra charge. I’ve never added the bacon when ordering for my mother-in-law so I won’t do it here but feel free you want some! We aren't peeling these potatoes so choose a variety with thin skins like white or golden potatoes. If you must use russets, you might want to peel them. It won’t be the same though.
Ingredients
2 lbs or 900g white or golden potatoes
Olive oil
4 cups or 960ml chicken stock
2 tablespoons butter
1 white onion
2 cloves garlic
4 oz or 113g cream cheese
1 green onion, green part only, sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt, if necessary (some chicken stock is pretty salty and that’s enough salt)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
To garnish: Asiago cheese, grated
Method
Preheat your oven to 400°F or 200°C and line a pan with silicone mat or foil for easy clean up.
Scrub the potatoes clean and cut them in half lengthwise. Oil the silicone mat or foil with a good drizzle of olive oil then place the potatoes cut side down. Use a basting brush to oil the tops of the potatoes.
Roast in your preheated oven for 15 minutes. Turn the potatoes cut side up and roast for another 15 minutes.
While the potatoes are roasting, peel and chop your garlic and onion.
Remove the potatoes from the oven and leave to cool.
Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until the onion is translucent. I cover my pot because I find it helps soften the onion more quickly.
Chop the potatoes into chunks.
Add the potatoes and chicken stock to the pot.
Bring to a boil then simmer for about 12 to 15 minutes by which time the potatoes should start to break down, if they haven’t already.
Use a potato masher to mash some of the potatoes.
Give the soup a good stir. If you like a thicker soup, mash more! The Panera soup does have some potato chunks so I tried to match that texture.
Add the cream cheese and the sliced green onion and stir until the cheese has melted. Add the salt, if needed, and black pepper.
Serve garnished with shredded Asiago cheese.
Enjoy!
It’s Sunday FunDay and we are celebrating moms ahead of Mother’s Day in the United States next weekend, sharing recipes in honor of the great women in our lives. Many thanks to our host, Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm. Check out the links below.
- Edible Gelatin Balloons for Cake Decorating from Amy's Cooking Adventures
- Guava Cheese from Sneha's Recipe
- Haldi Doodh Masala Spiced Cupcakes with Burnt Caramel Buttercream from Culinary Cam
- Honey Mustard Chicken Strips from A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Pistachio Saffron Muffins from Mayuri's Jikoni
- Rustic Baked Potato Soup from Food Lust People Love
- Shortbread Lemon Squares from Our Good Life
We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.
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