Slow Cooker Potato Soup

We made this slow cooker potato soup before we ventured to California for a week and I just remembered to blog about it! This one was pretty straightforward because the slow cooker did 95% of the work for us-basically just put everything in the slow cooker and let it sit for eight hours. While we enjoyed this recipe, we felt like we might be eating it at the wrong time of year, since it has already warmed up here in Florida. We would have probably felt more suited for eating this on an early February evening, but either way, it's still simple and filling.



Slow Cooker Potato Soup (adapted from Budget Bytes; serves 4)
1 medium yellow onion
2 stalks celery
2 medium carrots
1 tbsp minced garlic
3 lbs potatoes
2 tbsp chicken base
6 cups water
1/4 tsp cracked pepper
2 cups milk
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt

Finely dice the celery and onion. Peel the carrots and then grate them on a cheese grater. Mince the garlic. Add all of this to the slow cooker. Clean the potatoes well, cut into one inch cubes or smaller, and add them to the slow cooker. Prepare 6 cups of chicken broth by dissolving the chicken base in 6 cups of water. Add to the slow cooker. Add some freshly cracked black pepper. Secure the lid on the cooker and cook on high for approximately 8 hours.

Open the slow cooker and test the potatoes for tenderness-they should be very soft. The onions and celery should also be very soft and transparent. Whisk 1/4 cup of flour into 2 cups of milk and then stir that mixture into the soup. Secure the lid once more and let cook on high for another 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, the soup should once again be bubbling, which it needs to do for the flour to have it's full thickening power. Use a potato masher, immersion blender, or a hand mixer to "mash" the potatoes. OR you can transfer half the soup to a blender and puree (though be careful-it will be very hot) until smooth and then stir it back into the rest of the soup. Taste and add salt if needed.

Recipe: Budget Bytes: Slow Cooker Potato Soup