Slow-Cooker Cheesy Bacon Potato Soup

Soup is one of my favorite dishes to make. You throw everything into a pot and voila! It's ready to eat and you have have a nice hot filling meal. Slow-cooker soups are especially my favorite. I use Velveeta cheese in the soup because it doesn't have the oily texture that cheddar soup often has. I have also seen the substitution of using Campbell's Condensed Cheddar Cheese soup instead of Velveeta, but this had a better thicker consistency for me.

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Prep Time: 30-45 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Serves: 4+

Items Needed:

• Slow-Cooker or Crock-Pot
• Large Frying Pan
• Measuring Tools
• Potato Masher

Ingredients:

• 3lbs bag of golden potatoes (cut 1-2 inch pieces, you can leave the peel on or remove it. I leave it on for the nutrition)
• 1lb of original Velveeta cheese (loosely cut, off-brand should work too!)
• 1 6oz bag of cheddar cheese
• 1 medium to large onion (diced small)
• 2 packages of bacon (your choice which kind, we prefer smoked thick cut)
• 4 cups of chicken broth (we prefer low-sodium)
• 1 cup cold milk (we prefer whole, but we've used low fat & skim)
• 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 4 green onions (diced small)
• Two pinches of the following seasonings... salt, pepper (cracked pepper preferred), garlic (minced garlic preferred)

Directions:

1.  Add the following to the slow-cooker: potatoes, onions, broth, & seasonings (will add the bacon soon after, read step 2). Cook for 3 1/2 hours.
2. Cook the bacon immediately in the frying pan (or any other method you prefer) The crispier, the better. Cut up all the bacon to bite-size pieces. Add half of the bacon (total of 1 package) to the soup. Set the other half aside to use as a topping (trust me you want it!)
3. After 3 1/2 have passed from step 1, whisk together the 1cup cold milk and 3 tbsp flour with a fork until it's no longer lumpy (I do this in the measuring cup for the milk). Add to soup.
4. Add the 1/2 cup of heavy cream to soup and add half the bag or 3oz of shredded cheddar cheese. Cook for 20 minutes.
5. After 20 minutes in step 4, add the Velveeta cheese & stir. Cook for 10 minutes.
6. When the soup is done cooking (total of 4 hours) take your potato masher and start mashing the potatoes in the soup as much as possible. You don't want any big chunks left, if possible.
7. Ladle soup into a serving bowl. Garnish with cheddar cheese, green onions, bacon, and freshly cracked pepper. You can also put a dollop of sour cream on top if you like the idea of a loaded potato soup!

Note, the soup often thickens up more the next day and it tastes amazing when it is re-heated. If your soup is too thin, you can try waiting and serving it the next day. If it is too thick, then add 1-2 cups of chicken broth.