Family Favorites - April 2020: Gluten-Free Baked Potato Soup (Wheat, Nut, Fish, Egg and Soy-Free, Can Be Milk-Free)

I decided to keep posting a family favorite recipe from the blog (with any adaptions that we use regularly, if applicable) on the fourth Friday or Saturday of every month this year.  This recipe will be one that we make quite often and that we all enjoy greatly.  This post is the fourth Family Favorites recipe of 2020.

If you have a recipe on your blog that you consider a family favorite that you'd like to share, please comment below with a link to the recipe, and I'll make sure to pop on over and visit your site to check it out (and leave a comment), and hopefully some of my other readers will, too.

This month's Family Favorite recipe is Gluten-Free Baked Potato Soup.  This is essentially my original Baked Potato Soup recipe made gluten-free, and with a few tips and tricks added in.

This soup is a favorite because it is hardy, tastes exactly like a loaded baked potato (another family favorite), and is pretty simple to make.  It's also a crowd pleaser at potlucks and family get-togethers.  We make it quite often in the fall through spring when it is colder out as it will help heat you up from the inside out.

If you're a fan of loaded baked potatoes, you simply must try this recipe out!  You won't regret it!

Gluten-Free Baked Potato Soup

2/3 Cup full-fat, salted butter or bacon grease or a combination of the 2

(We always use bacon grease if we have it.)

2/3 Cup potato starch

4 Cups allergy-friendly chicken stock/broth
(You can use any brand that fits your allergen needs, but Pacific brand is a good one.)

3 to 4 Cups milk
(We normally use and highly recommend whole milk, but you can use whatever you have on hand.  We also always use the 4 Cups milk.)

4 to 8 baked Russet potatoes, cubed (peeling is optional)

(You can also cube and boil your potatoes to desired doneness vs. baking them.  We also almost always use the 8 potatoes.)

1 1/4 to 2 Cups shredded cheddar cheese

(We always shred an 8 oz. block (which makes 2 Cups shredded) of cheddar and use that vs. getting a package of already shredded cheese.)

1 Cup sour cream
(We normally use and highly recommend Daisy.  We also recommend using full fat vs. low fat sour cream.)

1 Tablespoon dried parsley flakes

1 teaspoon onion salt

(We normally use McCormick's.)

1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)

(We always use Himalayan Pink Sea Salt when we add extra salt, which is normally needed if you use the larger amount of potatoes like we do.)

1/2 teaspoon ground black or white pepper

1/2 teaspoon celery salt
(We normally use McCormick's.)

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
(We normally use McCormick's.)

1/4 teaspoon paprika

12 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
(When possible, we use and highly recommend Hormel Natural Choice Bacon.)

1. In a stock pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter, bacon grease or combination over medium heat. (Note: The nice part about using bacon grease is that you get the bacon flavor throughout the soup.  If you don't want to use bacon grease, you can definitely use butter instead.)

2. Whisk in potato starch until smooth.

3. Gradually stir in the stock and milk, whisking constantly until thickened.

4. Stir in potatoes and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. (Note:  As I mentioned above, you can use boiled potatoes vs. baked potatoes, and I will share in variations how to use mashed potatoes.  The main thing is that you want the potatoes pre-cooked for this soup vs. raw.)
  

5. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. (Note:  You're just trying to get the potatoes heated through at this point and allowing the broth to thicken a bit.  The longer the soup simmers, the thicker the broth will get.)

6. Mix in cheese, sour cream and spices and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until cheese is melted.
  

7. Stir in bacon or sprinkle on top of individual portions before serving.  (Note: The bacon can get a bit chewy is stirred in (like in the picture above), so I recommend sprinkling it on the top of individual portions vs. stirring it in.)

Makes roughly around 2 1/4 quarts or 8 one Cup servings.

Variations (Please keep your individual allergen needs in mind when making variations/using substitutions!):

• Milk-Free: Use dairy-free milk, cheese, sour cream/yogurt and butter for the regular milk, cheese, sour cream and butter.  Daiya and So Delicous have some great options.
    
• Veggies vs. Spices: You can use 4 green onions (chopped fine) or 3/4 Cup onion (diced fine) for the onion salt, 3/4 Cup celery (chopped fine) for the celery salt, and/or diced or dehydrated garlic to taste in place of the garlic salt.  You can either add them in when you add the potatoes or cook them for a bit with the melted butter before adding the potato starch - whatever your preference.  If using onions, celery and/or garlic instead of the salts, you may need to increase the amount of table salt to 1 teaspoon or more according to personal preference. You can also use 1 teaspoon fresh parsley (chopped fine) in place of the parsley flakes.
    
• Bouillon vs. Broth/Stock: Use 4 Cups water and 4 chicken bouillon cubes in place of the stock/broth.
    
• Bacon/Meat Options: You can use the bacon that is already fully cooked or even real bacon bits/crumbles (not the imitation ones).  You can also leave the bacon out completely, add ham or cooked and shredded chicken - whatever you fancy.
  
  
• Add Mushrooms: Add fresh or canned mushrooms (drained) with the potatoes, if desired.
  
  
• Mashed Potatoes vs. Baked/Boiled Potatoes: Use mashed potatoes in place of the baked potatoes; amount based on preference, 2 to 4 Cups.
  
  
• Different Potato Types: If you don't like Russet potatoes, you can use another type (i.e. Red, Michigan White, Yukon Gold).  Peeled or not is also your choice.  You can add as many potatoes as you like as long as they are covered by the liquid in the soup.  I normally try to use 1 to 2 potatoes per person.  If you are planning on using more than 10 large potatoes, you may have to double the recipe, though.
  
  
• Different Cheese: Use any cheese for the Cheddar that you like best (i.e. American, CoJack, Cheddar Jack).
    
• Flour vs. Potato Starch: You can use regular flour or a gluten-free cup-for-cup flour in place of the potato starch.
    
• Topping Ideas:  As I mentioned above, this soup tastes like a loaded baked potato.  Due to this, whatever you like on top of a baked potato, you can put on this.  That means more sour cream, jalapenos, green onion - whatever you fancy!
    

I told you this was an easy soup to put together!
YUM!

I hope you will give this recipe a try soon and that it becomes a family favorite for you, too!