Creamy Potato Soup Recipe with Cheese
Healthy comfort food at its finest! This cheesy and creamy potato soup recipe tastes rich, decadent, and simply healthy with the addition of a few key fresh veggies.
Kids who aren’t crazy about soup sometimes go ALL IN for potato soup. Can you blame them? That comforting creamy texture, cheesy taste, and quick-energy boost from carb-rich potatoes have timeless appeal.
We love this potato soup in particular because it’s chock full of veggies (don’t worry, some are pureed. Your picky eaters won’t balk.) And made from a blend of whole milk, butter, and tangy cheddar cheese. So anyone who tries it will say, “oh, this is GOOD.”
This recipe has been a staple in the Super Healthy Kids family for many years now. And no one makes it just like us!
Try this healthy, ultimately delicious Cheesy Potato Soup recipe and make it your family favorite, too.
What Goes Into Potato Soup?
Potato soup might taste like a big old bowl of heart and soul. But in fact you’ll need some actual ingredients to whip it up in your kitchen. It’s easy! Here’s what you’ll need to make this soup:
Veggies, for nutrition and flavor: Potatoes, mushrooms, carrots, green onions, garlic, and onions.
Dairy, for creaminess: butter, cheese, and milk
Veggie broth, to make it a soup. You can sub in chicken broth if you like.
Flour, to thicken the broth. All-purpose flour or white whole wheat flour will work.
Spices, to kick up the flavor: pepper and onion powder.
Optional toppings: bacon pieces, sliced scallions, sour cream, Greek yogurt, or fresh parsley.
What Kind of Potatoes Should You Use?
We like Russet potatoes (the large brown ones) for potato soup, because their starchy consistency helps them blend well with the cheese and cream.
What Should You Serve with Potato Soup?
Potato soup is rich and has a fair amount of carbohydrates. So we like to balance it with a fresh green salad and a piece of fruit.
You and your kids might also love to dip a crusty whole grain bread into their potato soup. Sure, bread plus potato soup is a carb party. But remember, carbohydrates are important for supplying kids’ energy. And whole grain foods (bread) and whole plant foods (potatoes) are the kind of carbs you’re wisest to choose.
Is This Potato Soup Recipe Good for You?
Yes! When you make potato soup from scratch, you get choose your ingredients consciously, and pack your soup with nutritious veggies.
This soup features a medley of carrots, green onions, and mushrooms for extra vitamins and minerals (not to mention great flavor and texture.)
We use whole milk and real cheese in our soup for a balance of flavor and fat without the cloying richness of heavy cream.
Can You Freeze Potato Soup?
Potato soup is not ideal for freezing, because the texture can get rather grainy. This is one to make and eat fresh!
That said, there are a couple of steps you can take to prep this potato soup recipe ahead of time. The biggest time-saver is to peel and chop your potatoes ahead of time. Store them in a bowl of water in the refrigerator so they keep their color. You can do this up to a day ahead.
You can also make the whole soup up to two days ahead of when you plan to serve it. Though we don’t recommend freezing, the soup does reheat well from refrigerator.
More Creamy Soups to Love
Sweet Coconut Butternut Squash Crock Pot Soup
Creamy Pork and Cauliflower Potato Soup
Crockpot Cheesy Vegetable Soup
Creamy Potato Cheese Soup
Ingredients
- 10 medium russet potato
- 3 medium carrot
- 6 cup whole mushrooms, brown, Italian, or Crimini
- 3 stalk green onion
- 2 clove garlic
- 4 tablespoon butter, unsalted
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, ground
- 2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 cup flour, all-purpose
- 2 cup milk
- 2 cup vegetable broth
- 4 ounce cheddar cheese
Serve With
- 4 cup spinach
- 2 medium carrot
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
Instructions
- Peel and chop potatoes; dice carrots and mushrooms and place everything in a large pot. Add enough water to cover the veggies and bring to a boil. Cook until veggies have become tender; approximately 10 minutes.
- Add 2-3 cups of the potatoes, carrots, and mushrooms to a blender; blend until smooth, adding cooking liquid as needed. Set aside.
- Slice green onions and mince garlic. Heat a large saucepan over medium and add butter. Once butter is melted, add onions, garlic, salt, pepper, and onion powder; mix to combine. Continue to cook over medium heat, until onions have softened.
- Add flour and stir continuously until thick and bubbly. Then add the milk and broth very slowly until it forms a thick white sauce.
- Pour pureed vegetables into the white sauce, then add the rest of the cooked veggies. Grate the cheese; add to the soup and stir to combine.
- For the salad, add the spinach to a large bowl. Peel and slice the carrots; cut the tomatoes in half. Add to the bowl and toss with your favorite dressing, if desired.
- Serve soup topped with additional cheese, if desired, and salad on the side.
Nutrition
www.superhealthykids.com
Natalie Monson
I'm a registered dietitian, mom of 4, avid lover of food and strong promoter of healthy habits. Here you will find lots of delicious recipes full of fruits and veggies, tips for getting your kids to eat better and become intuitive eaters and lots of resources for feeding your family.
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I’m allergic to mushrooms and always struggle to think of a replacement veggie. Any suggestions for this recipe?
I would just leave them out!
Made this last night and it was a hit! I don’t really care for soup and my three year old doesn’t care for much of anything, but we both loved this. She literally said, “Mmmmmmmm!” over and over again. 🙂 It was quite a bit more labor intensive than I would normally care for after work, but I will try to make it ahead next time.
Made this today as a double batch. It was labor- intensive (maybe it’s because I’m 8 months pregnant) but delish! I subbed almond milk for cow milk and I was happy at how it turned out. Thanks!
Great substitute! thanks for sharing.
Can I use cream cheese instead of sourcream??
Hi Tonya! The recipe actually uses milk and flour to thicken this soup, but I think stirring in some cream cheese would be tasty, too. If you try it, let us know how it turns out!
I don’t feel like the specs of this recipe are correct.
I made this, using 10 russet potatoes, have WAY MORE than 6 servings and had to waste a ton of potatoes because I peeled, and chopped them and have no idea what to do with them since they don’t fit in the soup. I’d need an army size vat to house all that soup.
If it is somehow the most delicious soup in the world and my kiddo loves it, I promise I will retract these comments…but like on a sample taste, its very meh, and I don’t understand how almost 500calories a serving, this is “healthy”.
Made this today as a double batch. It was labor- intensive (maybe it’s because I’m 8 months pregnant) but delish! I subbed almond milk for cow milk and I was happy at how it turned out. Thanks!