Recipe Background
It's called Church Lunch Soup, but trust that it'll be more than your congregation that's impressed with this dish! Your taste buds are going to go nuts for this one! Ultra-tender potatoes are cooked in chicken broth for maximum flavor and then are enhanced with tangy sour cream and melty cheese! Better than that, Church Lunch Soup allows for so much customization! Do you want bacon? Would you rather have it vegetarian? Do you want extra sour cream? The sky really is the limit with this soup!
It's called Church Lunch Soup, but trust that it'll be more than your congregation that's impressed with this dish! Your taste buds are going to go nuts for this one! Ultra-tender potatoes are cooked in chicken broth for maximum flavor and then are enhanced with tangy sour cream and melty cheese! Better than that, Church Lunch Soup allows for so much customization! Do you want bacon? Would you rather have it vegetarian? Do you want extra sour cream? The sky really is the limit with this soup!
Ingredients
For the soup:
- 4 ounces bacon sliced into 1-inch pieces
- neutral-flavored oil optional, to taste
- 1 cup onions diced
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme optional
- 1/4 cup flour
- 4 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 4 russet potatoes optionally peeled, diced
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 cup sharp or aged cheddar cheese shredded
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
Optional, for serving:
- 1/4 cup green onions or chives thinly sliced
- sour cream to taste
- cheddar cheese to taste, shredded
Directions
- In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add the bacon pieces and cook, flipping them once, until crispy and browned, about 5-8 minutes.
- Transfer the bacon pieces to a paper-towel-lined plate and allow them to cool slightly.
- Reserve 1/4 cup of the bacon drippings in the saucepan, draining the remainder. If there is less than 1/4 cup of drippings in the pan, use the oil to achieve 1/4 cup total. You may not need any of the oil.
- Add the onions to the saucepan and cook, while stirring, until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the garlic and the thyme to the onions and cook, while stirring, until combined and fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add the flour to the onion mixture and cook, while stirring, until combined and the raw flour smell disappears, about 1 minute.
- Add the broth and the potatoes to the onion mixture and stir to combine.
- Bring the soup mixture to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer the soup mixture until the potatoes are tender, about 15-20 minutes.
- Turn off the heat.
- Optionally, using an immersion blender, purée the soup until it reaches your desired consistency.
- Add 1/2 cup of the sour cream and 1 cup of the cheddar cheese to the soup and stir to combine until the cheese has melted.
- Season the soup with the salt and the black pepper.
- Serve topped with the reserved bacon pieces, the green onions, the extra sour cream, and the extra cheddar cheese.
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