Crockpot Cheesy Potato Soup

Baby Gizmo

Cook Time 9 hrs

Total Time 9 hrs

Course Entree, Soup

Cuisine Soup

Servings 8 -10

10 cups of chopped potatoes - You can substitute 2 bags (32 oz of frozen southern-style diced hash brown potatoes if you want to make it even easier!)
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 medium stalk celery diced (approx 1/2 cup)
2 cartons 32-oz Progresso® chicken broth
1 cup water
5 tablespoons Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup half and half
2 bags 8 oz shredded Cheddar cheese (4 cups)
1/2 cup real bacon pieces optional for garnish
4 medium green onions sliced (optional for garnish)

In slow cooker, mix potatoes, onion, celery, broth and water.
Cover; cook on low heat setting 6 to 8 hours.
After the 6-8 hours, in a small bowl, mix flour into milk; stir into potato mixture. Increase heat setting to High. Cover; cook 20 to 30 minutes or until mixture thickens.
Remove about 5 cups of soup and place in a bowl. Add 1 bag of cheddar cheese (2 cups) and puree with an immersion blender until the cheese is incorporated. Return the pureed soup to the crockpot.
Add 2nd bag of cheese (2 cups) to all the soup in the crockpot and stir until melted. Garnish individual servings with bacon and green onions. Sprinkle with pepper if desired.