Fast One-Pot Recipe

Creamy Cheddar Cheese Potato Soup
Leftover Turns To Comfort Food

A fast one-pot recipe can be made with some store-bought ingredients or leftover.  Either way still brings you this comforting bowl of wonder.  Love carbs?  You must try out this creamy cheddar cheese potato soup.

Total Time: 30-35 Minutes
Prep Time: 5 Minutes  
Active Cook Time: 25-30 Minutes  
Serving: 4-6

I may not be raised in a western country.  But I do hear a lot of my co-workers telling me that mashed potatoes or baked potatoes is always served on a dinner table, especially for traditional families.

In fact, I have witnessed countless time that people in our circle throw the leftover away without a blink of an eye. 

I just can't bring myself to do it.  My mother's saying is always in the back of my mind, "Don't throw the food away.  Think about how many people in this world suffering from hunger."  Being a mother, I try my best to instill this mantra to my son.  My goal is to help him to appreciate some simple things in life and not to take everything for granted.

Anyway, this fast one-pot recipe not only takes care of your leftover (if you made the creamy mashed potato), but also a very filling and comforting family meal.  Can you imagine on a very cold night launching on the couch with a fluffy blanket in front of the TV with a bowl of hot soup in your hand?  That's the way to end a day, huh?

Actually, this soup is also a restaurant remake recipe.

If you look up the Panera Bread menu, this is very similar to their "Baked Potato Soup".  So, why spend so much money on buying a bowl of soup that you can make on your own with the same amount of money and be able to feed the whole family, right?

TIPS & TRICKS

Although this cheddar mashed potato soup is made out of leftover mashed potatoes, you can use baked potato leftover, too.  

If you have neither, the store bought hash brown would be another great alternative.  Make sure it is the kind with shredded potatoes, not the patty kind.

There is also the ready-to-go mashed potatoes.  Depending on your preference of texture, mashed potato for creamy, baked potatoes or hash brown for rustic.  Of course, if you can have anything homemade would definitely be better.

Chives and scallions are optional in this fast one-pot recipe.  These are mainly for garnish use.  If you don't use either very often, I can understand that you don't want to buy it and leave it rotten and throw away.

But there is a great find out there.  This is the freeze-dry parsley, chives and scallions.  You can put a little bit of water to revive it.  Or just add it into the soup directly. 

It is a little bit more expensive.  But it has a very long shelf life that you will hardly waste a penny at all.  In fact, I think it is a money saver in a long run.
        
The fast one-pot recipe is very thick.  Feel free to either add more liquid or reduce the quantity of mashed potatoes to meet your desired consistency.

There are different varieties of pre-cooked bacon.  You could spend a few dollars more to buy the pre-cooked one in order to save your cooking time.  If you choose the shortcut, replace the 2 tablespoons of bacon grease with butter or extra virgin olive oil.

Fast One-Pot Recipe and Directions

Ingredients

1 block (8 ounces) Smoked Cheddar Cheese (grated; this is usually at the special cheese aisle next to the deli section)
4 slices Bacon (cooked until crispy and crumbled)
2 tablespoons Bacon grease
2 tablespoons Butter or Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 tablespoons All Purpose Flour
4 cups Chicken Broth
3-4 Cups Creamy Mashed Potatoes leftover (You can also use some store-bought help.  There are many brands of ready-to-serve mashed potatoes either coming in a box or frozen)
Chives or Scallion (optional; for garnish only; I use the Litehouse blend)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a soup pot, cook bacon until crispy; about 5-8 mins.
2. While waiting for the bacon to be cooked, grate the cheddar cheese.
3. Transfer cooked bacon to a paper towel lined plate.
4. Leave 2 tablespoons of bacon grease in the soup pot and add 2 tablespoons butter or extra virgin olive oil (you need 4 tablespoons grease or oil total)
5. Add flour into the grease and whisk to combine and make roux.
6. Let the roux cook for about a minute or so.
7. Add broth and whisk regularly until it boils.
8. Add cheese and whisk until it is melted (the soup still looks watery at this point).
9. Add mashed potatoes (leftover) and whisk until lumps are gone and soup starts bubbling.
10. Salt and pepper to taste; then transfer to soup bowls.
11. Crumble a slice of bacon, chives and/or scallion on top for each serving and enjoy.

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