Here’s a rich, comforting recipe for creamy slow-cooker potato & bacon soup with ground beef—hearty, smoky, and perfect for an easy meal.
🥔 Creamy Slow-Cooker Potato, Bacon & Ground Beef Soup
🧾 Ingredients
- 4–5 medium potatoes (peeled & diced)
- 1 small onion (chopped)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 6 strips bacon (cooked & crumbled)
- 250–300g ground beef
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup milk (or half-and-half for extra creaminess)
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 tbsp cream cheese (optional, for richness)
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp salt (adjust to taste)
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp smoked paprika (optional)
- 2 tbsp flour (for thickening)
- 2 tbsp chopped green onions (for garnish)
🍳 Instructions
1. Brown the meat
- In a pan, cook the ground beef until browned. Drain excess fat.
- In the same pan, lightly sauté the onions and garlic in butter (adds depth).
2. Prep the slow cooker
- Add potatoes, cooked beef, onions, garlic, and broth to the slow cooker.
- Stir in salt, pepper, and smoked paprika.
3. Slow cook
- Cook on LOW for 6–7 hours or HIGH for 3–4 hours, until potatoes are tender.
4. Make it creamy
- In a small bowl, whisk flour with a bit of milk to avoid lumps.
- Stir the mixture into the soup along with remaining milk, cheese, and cream cheese.
5. Add bacon
- Stir in most of the crumbled bacon (save some for topping).
6. Final cook
- Cook on HIGH for another 20–30 minutes until thickened.
🍲 Serve
- Ladle into bowls and top with:
- Extra bacon 🥓
- Green onions
- More cheese if you like
💡 Tips
- For extra flavor, swap some potatoes with sweet potatoes.
- Want it thicker? Mash a few potatoes directly in the pot.
- Prefer a smoky kick? Add a pinch of chili flakes.
If you want, I can adjust this recipe for keto, low-fat, or stovetop/Instant Pot versions.
