Instant Pot (or not) Baked Potato Soup
with tart apple and spinach salad
It's been a few years since we featured this satisfying soup (back in 2015), but it's a favorite this time of year. We've updated it with Instant Pot steps for even more low maintenance cooking. A green salad adds fresh flavors and crunch on the side.
Ingredients
- Onions - 1/2, chopped
- Green onions - 3 stalks, chopped, white and green parts separate
- Bacon - 6 strips, chopped
- Potatoes, russet - 1 1/2 lbs, peeled and cubed
- Cheese, cheddar - 4 oz, grated
- Flour, all-purpose or whole wheat - 3 Tbsp
- Thyme, dried - 1/2 tsp
- Stock, any type - 6 cups
- Sour cream - 1/3 cup + 1/3 cup (sub plain or Greek yogurt)
- Shallots - 1/2 clove, thinly sliced
- Vinegar, red or white wine - 1 Tbsp
- Mustard, Dijon - 1 tsp
- Honey - 1 tsp
- Oil, olive - 3 Tbsp
- Apples, any tart, green-skinned variety - 1, sliced
- Baby spinach - 5 oz
Nutrition Facts
Choose Cooking Method
Prep
- Onions / Green onions / Bacon - Prep as directed. Store separately. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Potatoes - Peel potatoes and cut into large cubes. (If doing this more than an hour ahead, soak in a bowl of water to prevent potatoes from turning brown.)
- Cheese - Grate cheese. (Can be done up to 1 day ahead)
- Slow cook soup: Heat a skillet or non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook until crisp. Use a slotted spoon to transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Keep ~2 Tbsp (30 ml) of fat in the pan and drain the rest. Add onions, white parts of green onions (reserve the green parts), and some salt and saute until tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Add flour and thyme and saute until vegetables are coated. Combine onion mixture with potatoes and stock in the bowl of a slow-cooker. Cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or low for 7 to 8 hours, until potatoes are tender.
- Make dressing - Slice shallots. Combine with vinegar, mustard, honey, and olive oil. Season with some salt and pepper. (Can be done up to 3 days ahead)
- Apples - Slice apples.
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Make
- When soup is finished cooking, add first part of sour cream and blend with an immersion blender until it reaches preferred consistency (either completely smooth or with some pieces of potato remaining). Season with some salt and pepper.
- Toss spinach and apples in dressing.
- Serve soup with cheese, bacon, remaining sour cream, and green parts of green onions on top. Enjoy with salad on the side!
Prep
- Onions / Green onions / Bacon - Prep as directed. Store separately. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Potatoes - Peel potatoes and cut into large cubes. (If doing this more than an hour ahead, soak in a bowl of water to prevent potatoes from turning brown.)
- Cheese - Grate cheese. (Can be done up to 1 day ahead)
- Make dressing - Slice shallots. Combine with vinegar, mustard, honey, and olive oil. Season with some salt and pepper. (Can be done up to 3 days ahead)
- Apples - Slice apples.
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Make
- Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add bacon and cook until crisp. Use a slotted spoon to transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Keep ~2 Tbsp (30 ml) of fat in the pan and drain the rest.
- To heated Dutch oven, add onions, white parts of green onions, and some salt and saute until tender, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add flour and thyme and saute until vegetables are coated. Add potatoes and stock. Cover and simmer until potatoes are tender, ~20 minutes.
- When soup is finished cooking, add first part of sour cream and blend with an immersion blender until it reaches preferred consistency (either completely smooth or with some pieces of potato remaining). Season with some salt and pepper.
- Toss spinach and apples in dressing.
- Serve soup with cheese, bacon, remaining sour cream, and green parts of green onions on top. Enjoy with salad on the side!
Prep
- Onions / Green onions / Bacon - Prep as directed. Store separately. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Potatoes - Peel potatoes and cut into large cubes. (If doing this more than an hour ahead, soak in a bowl of water to prevent potatoes from turning brown.)
- Cheese - Grate cheese. (Can be done up to 1 day ahead)
- Make dressing - Slice shallots. Combine with vinegar, mustard, honey, and olive oil. Season with some salt and pepper. (Can be done up to 3 days ahead)
- Apples - Slice apples.
Unlock this meal along with hundreds of smart meal plans and never stress about "What's for dinner?" again
Try for freeLearn More
Make
- Turn on the simmer function of an Instant Pot. Add bacon and cook until crisp. Use a slotted spoon to transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Keep ~2 Tbsp (30 ml) of fat in the pot and drain the rest.
- To heated Instant Pot, add onions, white parts of green onions (reserve the green parts), and some salt and saute until tender, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add flour and thyme and saute until vegetables are coated.
- Add potatoes and stock (reduce liquid by 10-20% to account for lack of evaporation in the Instant Pot). Be sure to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan (this will help to avoid the burn error).
- Turn off simmer function and allow to cool for a minute or two. Close and lock the lid. Set the pressure valve to 'Sealing'.
- Cook soup on manual / high pressure for 8 minutes. Let pressure release naturally for 5 minutes and then manually release any remaining pressure.
- When soup is finished cooking, add first part of sour cream and blend with an immersion blender until it reaches preferred consistency (either completely smooth or with some pieces of potato remaining). Season with some salt and pepper.
- Toss spinach and apples in dressing.
- Serve soup with cheese, bacon, remaining sour cream, and green parts of green onions on top. Enjoy with salad on the side!
Nutrition Facts
Reviews
Ratings
Most Helpful
I made the stove top version and only used 4c stock because I didn’t want to have to open two cartons (and the consistency was good). I would have preferred cutting the potatoes smaller, cooking them for less time, and only blending about half the mixture, keeping it more chunky. I used fresh thyme and 3 cloves garlic with the onion (I would probably add roasted garlic next time too) and a good bit of white pepper and cayenne at the end. It was good, but didn’t blow me away.
1 Helpful49 reviews
Enjoyed this but agree with other reviews that it wasn’t thick enough. Would reduce the stock if I make again. I made it on the stovetop.
0 HelpfulThought it would be a little bland, but it was delicious!! We used fewer potatoes because we’d run out, so not sure if that would change the flavor. But really delicious!
0 HelpfulCarbs + Dairy = Heaven! It wasn't as heavy as I expected and that is a good thing. It was very good!!
0 HelpfulDelicious and easy! Used 2 cups broth + .5 cups water in the instant pot. Next time will pair it with a grilled cheese sandwich!
0 Helpful