Seriously.  This is the best potato soup.  Bonus that it’s so easy to make.  I love recipes like this.  Very few ingredients, it tastes amazing, and it’s easy.  It ticks all of my boxes.  Here’s how you do it.

Wash and peel your potatoes.  I always buy russet potatoes.  I use them in this soup and my mashed potatoes.  They are delicious.

I always judge how many potatoes to use by their size.  If they are gigantic the way we like to use them for our Restaurant Baked Potatoes, I’ll use one per person and add in an extra just in case.  If they are smaller, I’ll use two per person with an extra two.  Make sense?

Chop them up and add them to a stock pot with chicken broth and water to cover.  You can sub in vegetable stock/broth here for the chicken broth.

I generally use one 14 ounce can of chicken broth and the rest water, but you can use straight chicken broth if you would like.

Salt and pepper too.  I do NOT count salt and pepper in the ingredients list.  I always have salt and pepper on hand, and actually don’t know anyone who doesn’t.

Next I add in a pinch of cayenne pepper.  If you need an exact measurement of a pinch I would guestimate half of 1/8 teaspoon.  This is going to give it an amazing depth without people not quite knowing why.  If you like heat, you can add as much as you like.  Cook everything until the potatoes are fork tender.

This is your secret ingredient and will make this soup something you’ll add into your weekly rotation.  I like to take the cream cheese out of its package and put it straight into a bowl.   Add in a couple of large ladles of your potato water and use a hand blender to completely meld the two together.  I love my hand blender.  I got it as a wedding gift and it has literally lasted for almost 25 years now.  Then you just pour that straight into your pot.

At this point I turn the soup OFF.  I like to let it start to cool for about 30 minutes before I serve it.  This does two things.  It will drop the temperature of the soup from ‘surface of the sun’ realm to a ‘just right to eat it’ temperature.  It will also give the soup a “rest” so that it can slightly thicken as it cools down. 

This makes the best leftovers too.  If you have any leftovers, that is.  I would definitely recommend doubling this recipe, because it’s even better the next day!  Now I’m off to make soup.  Here’s the handy dandy printable: