The first ingredient in Ree Drummond's potato soup? Bacon!
Our editors and experts handpick every product we feature. We may earn a commission from your purchases.Learn more.
We Made The Pioneer Woman’s Perfect Potato Soup—and It’s the Comfort Food of Your Dreams
Updated Mar. 01, 2023
Ree Drummond, aka The Pioneer Woman, is well-known for her love of comfort food. There’s a reason Ree’s list of favorite ingredients includes bacon, cream and cheese! These ingredients are also key players in her Pioneer Woman potato soup recipe.
Ree Drummond’s Perfect Potato Soup
How perfect is her potato soup? We tested the recipe to find out.
Ingredients
- 6 slices thin bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 carrots, peeled and diced
- 3 celery stalks, diced
- 6 small russet potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, more to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon Cajun spice mix, more to taste
- 8 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
- 1 cup grated cheese of your choice
Tools You’ll Need
Directions
Step 1: Cook the bacon
Add the sliced bacon to a large soup pot or Dutch oven and cook over medium-high heat until crispy, stirring constantly to prevent the bacon from burning. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon from the pot, place on a paper-towel lined plate and set aside. Pour off most of the bacon grease, but do not clean out the pot. Here’s what to do with the bacon grease.
Step 2: Prep the vegetables
Use a chef’s knife to dice the onion, carrots and celery into similarly-sized pieces. Add the veggies to the soup pot and cook over medium-high heat until slightly tender, about 5-8 minutes. While the veggies are cooking, peel and dice the potatoes. Add them to the soup pot, along with salt, pepper and Cajun spice. Stir to combine.
Step 3: Add the broth
Pour the broth into the soup pot and bring the mixture to a gentle boil. Allow to cook for 10-20 minutes, or until the vegetables are fork tender.
Step 4: Thicken the soup
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and milk until thoroughly combined. Stir into the soup and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
Step 5: Blend
Use an immersion blender to blend the soup or blend the soup in batches using a high-powered blender. If using a blender, allow the soup to cool slightly before blending. Do not overfill the blender! To maintain some texture, Ree recommends only blending about 2/3 of the soup.
If blended separately, pour the blended soup back into the soup pot and stir to combine.
Step 6: Make it decadent
Stir in 1/2 cup of heavy cream. You could skip this step, but why would you want to?
Step 7: Season to taste
Taste the soup and adjust the seasonings as needed.
Step 8: Garnish and serve
Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish each serving with freshly chopped parsley, your favorite shredded cheese and the chopped bacon bits. Pro Tip: Do not skimp on the bacon!
Here’s What I Thought
Bacon! Cream! Cajun spice! What’s not to love? This potato soup was truly decadent and delicious. Everyone in my family went for seconds—that’s a definite sign of a winning recipe in my house. This recipe makes a massive amount of soup (12 servings), so if you’re not feeding a hungry house full of ranch hands, prepare yourself for some leftovers. The soup does freeze nicely, so it is a great option if you like to fill the freezer with make-ahead meals.
The soup does have a pronounced orange color from the carrots, so if you’re expecting a pale soup, Ree suggests omitting them entirely. However, the carrots do add to the soup’s depth of flavor, so I recommend keeping them in.
Be sure to taste the soup before serving! I added a fair amount of salt and pepper at the end, along with several more pinches of Cajun seasoning (what can I say, I like a little spice). The garnishes are what really make this soup perfect. The bacon, cheese and parsley have a salty, savory and fresh flavor that really take this soup to the next level. Overall, this potato soup is a filling and delicious recipe that will definitely make its way into our cold-weather soup rotation.
Slow-Cooker Potato Soup Recipes We're Making All Winter Long
Cream of Potato & Cheddar SoupThe Yukon Gold potatoes my daughter shares from her garden make this soup incredible. Add some cheddar cheese and crisp croutons, and it’s just heavenly. It's total comfort with the simplicity of
good ingredients! —Cindi Bauer, Marshfield, Wisconsin
Slow-Cooker Ham and Potato SoupDeliciously comforting and incredibly convenient, this slow-cooker ham and potato soup combines tender potatoes and savory ham in a creamy broth, making it the perfect hassle-free meal for any busy day.
Potato and Leek SoupFull of veggies and smoky bacon, with just a little tanginess from sour cream, bowls of this comforting soup taste just as terrific with sandwiches as they do with crackers. —Melanie Wooden, Reno, Nevada
Makeover Beef & Potato SoupSlow-cooker easy, this soup is a Christmas Eve tradition after church services at our house. —Sheila Holderman, Berthold, North Dakota
Potato ChowderThere's no topping a savory potato chowder on a chilly day, especially if it's garnished with crispy bacon bits and chopped chives. This slow-cooker recipe is easy to assemble and so comforting to come home to.
Loaded Potato-Leek SoupWhen I was a child, my mother made potato and onion soup because it was affordable and fast. I’ve trimmed the calories, but it’s still a comforting family favorite. —Courtney Stultz, Weir, Kansas
Loaded Baked Potato SoupThe only thing that beats the comforting flavor of this thick and hearty loaded baked potato soup is possibly the idea that it simmers on its own all day in a slow cooker. —Barbara Bleigh, Colonial Heights, Virginia
Spiced Sweet Potato SoupThis Thanksgiving serve your spuds as soup. It makes a unique first course, and guests will love the creamy texture and flavors of ginger, cinnamon and curry. —Lisa Speer, Palm Beach, Florida
Hearty Baked Potato SoupI got this recipe from my aunt, a terrific cook. Full of bacon, cheese and chives, the soup tastes just like a loaded baked potato. My husband and I love to hunker down with it on chilly nights. —Molly Seidel, Edgewood, New Mexico
No-Fuss Potato SoupFor a busy-day supper, my family loves to have big steaming, delicious bowls of this soup, along with fresh bread from our bread machine. —Dotty Egge, Pelican Rapids, Minnesota
Slow-Cooker Potato SoupThis slow-cooker potato soup takes all the flavor of a loaded baked potato—butter, bacon and onion—and turns it into an easy Crockpot potato soup you can serve any day of the week.
Originally Published: November 08, 2021
