Spicy Potato Soup (Slow Cooker)
Soup season in Michigan usually is from September to May, as Michigan weather never really knows what it wants to do. Sometimes we have a late April snowstorm; and luckily, this year, we had said snowstorm in early April as opposed to late April (#glassishalffull). Since Michigan hasn’t decided that it will be consistently warm, I thought I would slide this recipe in there for you before the “soup season” is over. Me personally, I can eat soups all year round, so long as I am in air conditioning during the summer months. Something about soups just give me comfort; especially homemade soups because usually they are made with love (*cheeseburgers* <– a.k.a. cheesy).
This potato soup recipe is a great “set it and forget it” kind of recipe. There isn’t a lot of prep work and there are minimal ingredients. I usually make this soup when I don’t use my potatoes up as quickly as I thought I would or my ambitious side gets the best of me thinking that I will use up two 10 pound bags of potatoes because they were ON SALE.
Right now, I am in the process of making this an even more “from scratch” recipe as to the canned soup aspect. I know, I know; how can it be “from scratch” when you are using canned soup? Well, when it comes to making recipes in the crock-pot, usually you add your dairy at the end as it can wreck havoc on the dish. Dairy products (usually milk) do not do well being heated for hours on end. I will be working on making a stove-top version of this recipe, so keep an eye out for that.
Michigan Ingredient: Red skinned potatoes
I usually prefer to use red skinned potatoes, but whatever potatoes (except sweet potatoes) that you have on hand will work.
First things first, chop up your potatoes and green onions; BOOM, hard work is done. The rest is just dropping the rest of the ingredients (minus the milk, sour cream, and cheese) into the crock-pot, giving it a stir and going about your day. Now you just need to make a decision as to if you want to use the high or low setting. Totally up to you, whatever your preference may be.
Do not be alarmed if you see the potatoes brown a little toward the top, as that is normal. I promise that it will taste just as great. (Imagine said picture here as apparently I was too lax in taking pictures ha!)
After your cook time (whether it be 4 hours or 8 hours) add your milk, sour cream, cheese (shred same now if you need to) and stir. Set the crock-pot on high for 10 minutes. If you are adding sausage, this is when I would start to brown my sausage. I would recommend that you drain (not rinse) your sausage onto a paper towel lined plate to get rid of the excess grease; blot as much as you can of the grease so as to not make your soup appear greasy. After your 10 minutes is up, add your sausage and serve with homemade bread and butter.
- 2-2.5 pounds of Potatoes (your choice) - peeled, and chopped
- 2 cans of Cream of Mushroom Soup (reduced fat and sodium)
- 1½ cups of Green Onion, finely diced - divided
- ¼ teaspoon of Garlic Powder
- ⅛ teaspoon of Red Pepper (Caynnne)
- 1½ cups/block of Pepperjack Cheese - shredded
- 1 cup of Sour Cream
- 1 cup of Milk
- black pepper to taste
- ½ to 1 pound of Spicy Sausage (optional)
- Combine your potatoes, soups, 1 cup of green onions, garlic powder, and red pepper in your slow cooker. Cover, cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours.
- Add cheese, sour cream, and milk; stir until cheese has completely melted. Cover, cook on HIGH for 10 minutes.If you are adding your sausage, brown same and add (be sure to blot the grease) to the soup. Season to taste with black pepper and garnish with remaining green onions.