I may not be experiencing frigid temperatures like my friends located in northern states but it’s definitely cold and I don’t like it. Winter has never been my thing and I’m pretty sure that’s not going to change. I was feeling a little “soupy” with the cold weather so in order to remedy the hankering I had for something warm, I set out to look for a soup recipe. Soup isn’t something that I make a lot of or have my own recipes for so I knew I would need to use a recipe of someone that I trust and a recipe that would be easy. I forgot that a few months ago I pinned a recipe for the perfect potato soup from The Pioneer Woman – my favorite. The Pioneer Woman has such tasty recipes and I love her photo instructions. I never have questions when making one of her recipes. Even if you’re a novice cook, you’ll find her recipes easy to follow and yummy.

I loved this potato soup and quite honestly, I didn’t change anything. Usually, when using someone else’s recipe, I’ll try and change something around a bit; alter the flavor elements. You know, just to have a little fun and try and put my own spin on it. Fortunately for me, I changed nothing!

Making the perfect potato soup

One tip with making soup, is to remove some of it from the pot and place it in a food processor, then pour it back in. This gives the soup a little texture so it’s not too chunky.

Alternatively, you can leave it all in the pot and simply use an immersion blender. I have an immersion blender and I love it. I don’t use it often but it definitely comes in handy when I’m making recipes like soup. Have you ever tried to transfer piping hot soup into a blender or food processor? It’s not that much fun.

Remember, recipes are simply a guide for you – you don’t have to take it too literal. For instance, in this recipe, you’ll use cheese to sprinkle on top of the soup. Use whatever cheese you want. The first time I made this, I used a mixture of sharp cheddar and Havarti. I think gouda would be yummy too. Between the texture of the soup, the cheese and the bacon, this really is the perfect potato soup.

I used 3 large Russet potatoes and that was more than enough for John and me.

This is the perfect soup for a weeknight meal and for staying warm. Get the full recipe on The Pioneer Woman.