I really try not to make this Bacon Potato Chowder very often,

Originally Published 10/26/2021

because it’s so good I think it could easily become an addiction lol.  It’s rich and creamy and cheesy and just all the things anyone could want in a chowder!

Halloween is this coming weekend and I think Tennessee has finally just got the notice that it’s supposed to be Fall. Yesterday a cold wind blew all day that truly felt more like winter… hey now, let’s not get ahead of ourselves Tennesee!

But it did give me good cause to make this Bacon Potato Chowder. If you’re looking for a simple, delicious meal you can put in your crockpot on low and come back to later, this is it!

I’m very certain there are healthier ways of making this Bacon Potato Chowder.

Like you could make your own cream of celery soup. You can find a great/simple recipe for homemade cream of celery soup on Culinary Hill’s Blog here. Other substitutes to make this soup lighter would be whole milk for non-fat, plain Greek yogurt for sour cream, turkey bacon for the bacon…

But the name of the game here is easy comfort food! So grab that pound of real bacon and let’s get started!

Personally, I like applewood smoked bacon, but any sort of bacon will do! Slice it into chunks and get it fried up crispy.

Once the bacon is done,

get it out of the pan and let it sit on some paper towels to soak the extra grease away. Next, you’ll get rid of the rest of the bacon grease in the pan, except for 1 tbsp. We need that to sauté some veggies!

Because this Bacon Potato Chowder has sour cream and milk in it, you don’t really want to heat it super hot at any point because that could curdle the milk. For this reason, you can’t rely on the soup to cook the veggies.

I like to cook the celery, onions, and red peppers before throwing them in the crockpot so they’re already semi-cooked and soft. (although the celery retains some of its crunch and I like that 🤷🏼‍♀️) So throw in the onion, celery, red peppers, and garlic and sauté until the onion is translucent.

After this, the work to make this Bacon Potato Chowder is pretty much done.

Throw the crispy bacon and sautéed veggies in the crockpot. Next, add the potatoes, cream of celery soup, sour cream, sharp cheddar, and whole milk.

The store should carry cans of diced potatoes. Occasionally I can’t find them so I just get canned whole potatoes and dice them myself. I also think sharp cheddar does the best in this. The stronger flavor stands up to all the milk and sour cream.

Speaking of milk, the recipe says 3-4 cups. My crockpot is on the smaller side (something I should remedy one of these days lol). 3 cups of milk, plus all the other ingredients, filled it to the brim! I mean to tell ya, I could hardly stir everything together without overflowing it! So add in as much milk as your crockpot will allow. Of course, the more milk you add, the less thick the chowder will be too. That is up to you as well!

Let the Bacon Potato Chowder cook on low for about an hour.

Low and slow. Like I said above you don’t want this chowder to boil, it will curdle the milk. Everything in the crockpot is already cooked, so really we’re just waiting for the cheese to melt and for the Bacon Potato Chowder to get to the perfect eating temperature! Low on my crockpot is actually high, and high is boiling, so I generally just set mine to warm and that seems to work just fine! While writing this, I’m realizing I really do need a new crockpot haha!

Anyway, once all the cheese has melted in and the Bacon Potato Chowder is nice and warm, it’s time to eat! Sprinkle the top with some fresh green onion, maybe more cheddar (because it doesn’t already have enough 😉), and dig in! Of course, this Bacon Potato Chowder is also a perfect match with a crusty piece of Sourdough Bread or even a Soft Pretzel!

It’s really the perfect soup for a chilly day or Football Sunday. Let me know if you give this recipe a try and if you like it!

Thanks for reading!

Print Recipe

Bacon Potato Chowder

This Bacon Potato Chowder is hearty, rich and oh so good! It goes perfect with sweaters, crunchy leaves, and Sunday Football! Plus it’s easy and quick to make!

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr

Total Time1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Course: Dinner

Keyword: Bacon Potato Chowder, Chowder, Soup, Winter Recipe

Servings: 6 people

Equipment

• Frying Pan
• Cutting Board and Knife
• Large Soup Pot or Crockpot

Ingredients

• 1 lb Bacon diced and fried
• 3/4 Cup Yellow Onion diced and sautéed
• 2 Cups Celery sliced and sautéed 4 stalks
• 1 1/2 Cups Red Pepper diced and sautéed 1 red pepper
• 1 tbsp Garlic minced
• 4 15 oz cans Baby Potatoes drained and diced
• 2 15 oz cans Cream of Celery Soup
• 1 Cup Sour Cream
• 2 Cups Sharp Cheddar shredded
• 3-4 Cups Whole Milk
• Salt & Pepper to Taste

Instructions

• First, start by slicing the bacon strips into chunks and frying them in the frying pan. Cook until they are crispy.
• Remove the bacon from the pan and place it on a plate lined with paper towels to soak up excess grease. Pour all of the grease out of the frying pan except for 1 tbsp. Next, add the diced onion, sliced celery, diced red pepper, and tbsp of minced garlic to the pan. Sauté until the onions are translucent, around 5 minutes.
• After this, add the crispy bacon, sautéed veggies, potatoes, cream of celery soup, sour cream, shredded sharp cheddar, and 3-4 cups of milk to the crock pot. Stir everything together, cover and set on low. Cook for 1 hour or until the chowder is hot and the cheddar cheese is melted in. Finish by adding salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve warm with a piece of crusty bread!

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