Easy Slow Cooker Loaded Potato Soup {Shortcut Recipe}

 Want to hear a genius idea?  Using diced hashbrowns for potato soup.  Have you ever thought of that before?  This is my new favorite shortcut for potato soup.

My Sister-in-Law sent me this recipe and I made it within a few days.  I knew it would be good thanks to that amazing list of ingredients, yet when I tasted it . . . I was still blown away by how delicious it is.     

I have now made it many times and we even made it for a work party and it was a huge hit.  There were A LOT of recipe requests and everyone was amazed when they saw how easy it is to make.

You really have got to try this easy creamy soup.

You might also like:
My Favorite Twice Baked Potatoes
Hash Brown Taco Casserole
Copycat Olive Garden Chicken and Potato Florentine Soup

Easy Slow Cooker Loaded Potato Soup

From: Kim H.
(Printable Recipe) or (Printable with Picture)

1 (30 oz.) bag frozen diced hash browns

1 (32 oz.) box chicken broth

1 (10.5 oz.) can cream of chicken soup

3 oz. Real bacon bits

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese

1 c. shredded Cheddar cheese

salt and pepper, to taste

chopped green onions, for garnish

Put hash browns in the slow cooker.  Add the chicken broth, cream of chicken soup and half of the bacon bits.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours, until potatoes are tender.  An hour before serving, cut the cream cheese into small cubes and place in the slow cooker.  Mix a few times throughout the hour before serving (I like to use a silicon whisk to help the cream cheese completely dissolve into the soup).  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.  Garnish with additional bacon bits, shredded Cheddar cheese and chopped green onions and serve.  Serves: 4-5 people.   

Jenn's Notes: I like to use O'Brien hash browns with onions and diced peppers.  I usually use low-sodium chicken broth, 98% fat-free cream of chicken soup and 1/3 less fat cream cheese and it's still fabulous.  My potatoes are usually tender right around 6 hours. 

Oven Baked Stew {Or Slow Cooker}

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This stew is INCREDIBLE.  The beef is fall-apart tender, the potatoes and carrots are soft, the sauce is thick and creamy and all together it is delicious and so so so easy to make.  Since you don't even have to sear the meat or vegetables first, it comes together in no time.  All you do is layer the ingredients in a casserole dish and bake for a few hours.

Even a beginner cook could make this and impress everyone.  

Listen . . . I know the ketchup sounds like the strangest ingredient and I would have never tried this, if Holly from Life in the Lofthouse didn't rave about how delicious it is.  I have very similar tastes as that cute girl and I knew if she loved it, that I would love it too and that was totally the case.

I even ate this three days in a row.  Yep!  Once for dinner and two days leftover for lunch.

Serve with buttered french bread on the side.  

Oven Baked Stew

adapted from: Life in the Lofthouse
(Printable Recipe) or (Printable with Picture)

1 Lb. lean beef stew meat
1 (1 oz.) pkg. dry onion soup mix
1/4 tsp. paprika
4 med-large carrots, peeled and diced
2-3 large Russet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1-inch cubes
1/2 c. finely chopped onion
freshly ground black pepper
1 (10 3/4 oz.) can cream of celery soup
1/2 c. ketchup

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  In a large zip-top bag, combine the dry onion soup mix and paprika.  Add the meat and shake the bag to coat the meat with the seasonings.  Spread out evenly into a greased 8x8-inch baking dish.  Top meat with diced carrots, potatoes and onion.  Season with some pepper.  In a medium bowl, combine the cream of celery soup and ketchup.  Spread over the vegetables.  Cover tightly with foil and bake for 2 1/2 hours.  Serves: 4   

To make in the crockpot:  Follow directions above for prep. and layer ingredients in the crockpot.  Cover with lid and cook on low for 6-7 hours.  

Jenn's Notes: The package of stew meat I used was about 1.25 Lbs. and the Russet potatoes I used were very large, so I only used two.    

Soft and Chewy French Bread

Linked up at Weekend Potluck!

Copycat Olive Garden Chicken and Potato Florentine Soup

The past few days have been so cold.  I can't even handle going outside.  Wouldn't an automatic remote start be nice to have in your car?  Heat it up a few minutes before you have to leave.  Then, you can sprint from your house to the car and only have to be cold for a few seconds and the icy windows would be melted enough that you can just turn on your windshield wipers and not have to scrape them.  

For cold days like this, all I want is some warm and cozy soup.  

  

I have only had this soup at Olive Garden once and I LOVED it.  After I tried it, I immediately came home and searched for a copycat recipe with no such luck.  At the time, it was a new menu item, so I figured no one had a chance to duplicate it yet.  

I never forgot about it.

Then, I found this copycat recipe the other day.    

It turned out better than I remembered it being, which is telling you something, because I remember it being way good, but this copycat version is WAY WAY Good!  There might be just a few differences (like lots of cream cheese), but I believe it is for the better!    

It is totally restaurant quality and the cream cheese really takes it up to another level.  I adjusted the measurements and ingredients from the original recipe with what I knew I would like and I loved every single thing about it and I would make it the exact same way next time. 

Copycat Olive Garden Chicken & Potato Florentine Soup

(Printable Recipe) or (Printable with Picture)

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 (14.5 oz.) cans low-sodium chicken broth

3 tsp. Italian seasoning, divided

1 Tbl. + 2 tsp. dried minced onion, divided

2 tsp. paprika, divided

1/2 tsp. salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 (14.5 oz.) cans diced tomatoes with juice

4 med. carrots, finely diced

6 red potatoes, unpeeled, diced

2 c. water
1 (15 oz.) can white beans, drained

3-4 c. fresh spinach, chopped

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese

1 1/2 - 2 c. Mozzarella cheese, grated

Add chicken breasts, chicken broth, 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, 1 Tablespoon dried minced onion, 1 teaspoon paprika, salt, pepper, diced tomatoes, carrots, potatoes and water to a large saucepan over medium heat.  Simmer until the chicken is cooked through (registers 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer) and the veggies are tender.  Remove chicken breasts, shred and add back to the pot.  Add the beans and heat on low for 30 minutes.  Add the fresh chopped spinach and cook for 5 more minutes.  If soup is too thick for your liking, add a little extra water (I prefer mine super thick and chunky).  Taste and add the remaining 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 2 teaspoons dried minced onion and 1 teaspoon paprika, if needed.  Stir in the cream cheese until completely combined.  Last, add the grated Mozzarella and stir until combined.  Serve with crusty bread.  Serves: 6-8

Jenn's Notes: I typed the ingredients above with the measurements that I used.  I actually started my soup out in the slow cooker.  I added everything except the spinach, cream cheese and Mozzarella to the slow cooker and I cooked on low for four hours.  My chicken was done, but the vegetables were still crunchy.  So, I poured the mixture (except the chicken) into a large saucepan and boiled for about 10 minutes until they were soft.  Then, I stirred in the shredded chicken and spinach and cooked for a few minutes.  Then, I stirred in the cream cheese and Mozzarella cheese.  The flavor of this soup was out-of-this-world.  I can't wait to make it again.  

very slightly adapted from: Food.com

Weeknight Cheesy Corn Chowder

Can you believe it is already time to start getting out the Christmas decorations?  I don't know about you, but I am NOT ready to pull out the Christmas tree.  I am still wondering what happened to the past 11 months?

I thought you might need something comforting to help with all the stress that comes along with the holidays.

 I absolutely LOVE the flavor of this chowder and I love that it doesn't have any carrots or potatoes in it.  Since you don't have to boil any veggies, this comes together super quick and it is easy enough for a weeknight.  Oh, and the smell!!  It is intoxicating.  I can't even begin to describe how good this smells.  I'm not talking about the smell that roams throughout the house, but the smell of the actual soup.  This is one of those times that I really wish the smell could travel through our computer screens so you could all experience what I did!

I now declare this my favorite weeknight chowder recipe, but my Ham Chowder is still my favorite Sunday dinner chowder!

Weeknight Cheesy Corn Chowder
From: Jenn@eatcakefordinner

(Printable Recipe) or (Printable with Picture)

1/2 Lb. bacon, diced
1/2 c. onion, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, ribbed, seeded & finely chopped
1 (15.25 oz.) can corn, drained
3/4 c. chopped deli ham
3 Tbl. flour
1 (14.5 oz.) can low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 - 2 c. half-and-half
1 tsp. Italian seasoning, or to taste
1/2 c. (heaping) Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1/2 c. (heaping) Pepper Jack cheese, shredded
sliced green onions, for garnish
sliced bread, for serving

Add diced bacon to a large pot over medium heat.  Cook until crispy and remove to a paper-towel lined plate; set aside.  Discard all but 1 Tablespoon of the bacon grease.  Add the onion and chopped red pepper and saute for a few minutes or until tender.  Add the corn and chopped ham and stir to combine.  Sprinkle the flour over the top and stir well.  Slowly whisk in chicken broth and stir until fully incorporated.  Continue cooking and allow soup to thicken, 5-10 minutes.  Whisk in the half-and-half and Italian seasoning.  Cook until heated through and reaches desired thickness, do not boil.  Reduce heat to low and stir in the reserved bacon and both cheeses until melted.  Season with salt and pepper, if needed.  Garnish with sliced green onions and serve with sliced bread on the side.  Yield: 4 big servings.  

Jenn's Notes: If you don't like ham in chowder, then leave it out and it will be just as good.  If you are planning to add the deli ham, I have the deli slice it a little thicker than you would if it was for sandwiches.  This is also amazing with leftover holiday ham.  

Slow Cooker Cream Cheese Chicken Chili

 Why is it that whenever I am completely out of cream cheese, I find a million things I want to make with it and when I have a million sticks of cream cheese in my fridge, I can't find anything to make with it? Just before Thanksgiving, my grocery store had a killer deal on Philly Cream Cheese, so I bought 10 boxes, thinking I would use them up - no problem.  Well, time flew by - as usual and I realized I still had 6 boxes of cream cheese that were expiring in a week.  So, I have been making recipe after recipe with my cream cheese, because I refuse to let any go to waste. 

This soup is one of those yummy recipes that helped me use up my cream cheese.  It couldn't be any easier to throw together and it is LOADED with flavor.  Usually, I am wishing things had more flavor, but with this soup, I was thinking it could use a tiny bit less flavor?  It was seriously delicious and I know I will be making this one a lot, but next time, I am going to add slightly less seasonings. 

Slow Cooker Cream Cheese Chicken Chili

adapted from:Plain Chicken

(Printable Recipe)

1 can black beans, drained & rinsed

1 can corn, undrained

1 can Rotel (tomatoes & gr. chiles), undrained

1/2 pkg. ranch dressing mix 

1 tsp. cumin

1 Tbl. chili powder

1 tsp. onion powder

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese

2 chicken breast halves or 5 tenders, frozen

Place chicken in bottom of slow cooker.  Combine beans, corn, Rotel, ranch seasoning, cumin, chili powder and onion powder and pour over chicken.  Place stick of cream cheese on top.  Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.  Stir cream cheese into chili.  Use 2 forks and shred the chicken.  Stir together and serve.  Yield: 3-4 adult servings.    

Jenn's Notes:  This was delicious, but next time I will add slightly less seasonings, because it had just a little too much flavor (yes that is possible).  I added some water at the end to reach my desired consistency.   

**Update (11/16/2012) - I have decided I like this recipe best without adding any ranch dressing mix.  

Grandma Parker's Clam Chowder

I grew up eating this clam chowder.  It is my Grandma's recipe that my mom used to make for us and surprisingly, as a kid, I really liked it.  You wouldn't think a kid would like clams, but all of my siblings liked this soup too.  We used to eat it with saltine crackers, but now a days, I serve it with sliced french bread.  I love to serve bread with all of my soups!  It makes for such a hearty meal.  

Now, neither Grandma or Mom served this with bacon.  That is my addition!  Bacon makes everything better.  It still tastes perfectly delicious without bacon, but I had some in my freezer that needed used up and I absolutely loved the extra flavor it added.  

Clam Chowder

from: Grandma Parker

(Printable Recipe)

2 c. potatoes, peeled and diced

1 c. celery, diced

1 c. onion, diced (I use less)

2 cans minced clams

1/2 c. margarine

1/2 c. flour

1 qt. half-and-half

salt and pepper

My additions:

a few strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled

a little italian seasoning

Place diced vegetables in a large pot and add just enough water to cover them.  Drain the clams and add the juice to the pot of vegetables.  Cook for about 20 minutes or until tender.  While that is cooking, melt margarine in a separate saucepan; add flour and stir to form a paste and cook for a few minutes.  Slowly add the cream and mix with a wire whisk until thickened.  Stir in the drained clams.  Stir cream mixture into pot with vegetables; season with salt and pepper, to taste.  Cook until thickened.  Do not boil.  Stir in some italian seasoning and top with bacon, if adding and serve with saltine crackers or sliced french bread.    

Jenn's Notes: No notes today.  This is a tried-and-true recipe that always turns out delicious.   

CHEESY HAM CHOWDER

My father-in-law, Bob, made some yummy ham chowder for us last week and I thought it was the greatest idea.  I honestly had never eaten it before.  What a great way to use up leftover ham.  I had some in my freezer that I needed to use.  So, last night, I decided to create my own recipe for this chowder.  I used the same vegetables that I remembered in Bob's and let me tell you, I absolutely loved it.  I really wish that I had some more to eat for dinner tonight.  This really is my new favorite way to use up leftover ham from the holidays.  By the way, this was the first time I had used frozen leftover ham and just to let you know, it tasted the exact same as it did the first night we ate it.  

I like my chowder super thick and chunky, so add less veggies if you don't like it really chunky.  Also, I used 1% milk and trust me, it was super smooth and creamy, so there is no need for all those extra calories by adding cream.  Serve with bread and you will be in heaven.

**Update 10/21/12 - I have made this countless times since this post and it is a family favorite**

Cheesy Ham Chowder

From: Jenn@eatcakefordinner

(Printable Recipe) 

1 Tbl. Butter

1 Tbl. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/3 c. onion, finely chopped

3 carrots (about 1 1/2 c.), chopped

2 large russet potatoes, peeled and diced

garlic, minced

1 1/2-2 c. leftover spiral ham, chopped

1 can low-sodium chicken broth

4-5 c. milk (I use 1%)

4 Tbl. cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 c. water

1 can corn, drained

2 tsp. Italian seasoning

salt & pepper

1 1/2-2 c. Cheddar cheese, grated

Heat butter and oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add the onions, chopped carrots and diced potatoes.  Saute for about 10 minutes or until onions and potatoes are slightly translucent.  Add the garlic and ham and cook another minute or so.  Add one can of chicken broth and bring up to a boil.  Boil until potatoes and carrots are tender.  Add milk and stir to combine.  Dissolve cornstarch in water and add to pot.  Add the can of corn and season with Italian seasoning, salt and pepper (you might not need salt depending on how salty your ham, broth and corn are).  Stir to combine.  Cook until thickened, stirring occasionally. Last, add shredded cheese and stir until smooth and melted.  Serve with sliced baguette.  Serves: 5-6.          

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Chili

Today was the perfect day for chili.  I woke up, looked outside, and there was snow everywhere.  I didn't even know it was supposed to snow.  So, of course, I needed something warm and cozy for dinner.  I didn't have a specific recipe for this chili.  I just kind of threw in stuff until it tasted good.  It turned out very yummy. It had the perfect amount of spiciness for my taste.  If you do not like things spicy, you should probably leave out the chipotle chili in adobo sauce.  Also, I added 1/2 a green pepper and 1/2 a red pepper, because that is what I had in my fridge, but you could just use one whole green pepper and not have to buy both. 

Chili

From: Jenn@eatcakefordinner

(Printable Recipe)

1/2 Lb. ground beef

1/2 Lb. ground pork

1/2 Tbl. oil

1/2 red pepper, diced

1/2 green pepper, diced

1/2 onion, chopped

1 can black beans, drained & rinsed

1 can kidney beans, drained & rinsed

1 can chili beans

1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes

1/2 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes

1/2 chipotle chili in adobo sauce, 

    seeds removed, finely chopped, opt.

2 tsp. ground cumin

1/4 tsp. chipotle chili powder, opt.

2 tsp. chili powder

1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. oregano

salt & pepper

sour cream, for garnish

green onions, sliced, for garnish

Cheddar cheese, shredded, for garnish

In a large pot, brown ground beef and ground pork.  Remove and set aside.  Heat oil in same pot; add green pepper, red pepper and onion and saute until tender.  Add meat back to pot.  Add remaining ingredients.  Season with spices, to taste.  Place lid on pot and simmer for a few hours.  If it is too thick, add a little water.  Garnish with Cheddar cheese, sour cream and green onions.  Serve with Fritos or with toasted baguette, if desired.  

CHICKEN TACO SOUP

This is my favorite recipe for chicken taco soup.  I got this recipe from my sister-in-law, Kim.  I make this several times a year and it is one of the few dishes I will eat left over.  I make a big pot and eat it everyday (no joke - everyday for lunch - love it) for up to a week and it tastes the exact same as it did the first day. Kim's original recipe calls for (18 oz.) Old El Paso Taco Seasoned Chicken, but I have been having a hard time finding it lately, so I have been cooking my own chicken. (It used to be in the refrigerated section by the Lloyd's Barbeque meat in a tub).   Either one tastes just as good.  It has been such a rainy day today, that I thought this recipe is just what we needed!  You will have no problem throwing this together any day of the week, because it is so fast and easy.   

Chicken Taco Soup

From: Kim H. (my sister-in-law)

(Printable Recipe)

18 oz. tub Old El Paso Taco Seasoned Chicken or regular          chicken, cooked and shredded with a little taco seasoning

1 can diced tomatoes (28 oz.)

1 can kidney beans (15.25 oz.)

1 can pinto beans (15.5 oz.)

1 can corn (15.25 oz.)

1 can diced green chiles (4.5 oz.)

1 can Rotel (10 oz.) (diced tomatoes with green chiles)

taco seasoning, opt.

Cheddar cheese, shredded

Fritos

sour cream

Pour all the canned ingredients into a large pot, don't drain cans.  Add the shredded chicken and stir to combine.  Add taco seasoning, to desired taste.  Heat on the stove or in a crockpot until warm.  Serve with cheese, Fritos & sour cream.