Healthy Potato Soup Recipe (Quick & Easy) – Get Busy Gardening

Healthy potato soup is quick to make with this easy recipe. It’s a warm, creamy, and delicious meal your whole family will enjoy. In this post I’ll show you how to make it step by step.

If you love cozying up to a nice bowl of potato soup, you’ll definitely want to make this healthy recipe.

It is lighter than most classic versions, very easy to make, and tastes great too. This will quickly become a family favorite.

Below I’ll share my healthy potato soup recipe with you, and give you tons of tips for how to make it.

Homemade Healthy Potato Soup

This healthy soup recipe creates a hearty and filling meal thickened with potatoes and pureed cauliflower, with an added crunch from reduced-fat turkey bacon and fresh green onions.

Here are a few reasons why you’ll definitely want to make it:

• Hearty and filling
• Made healthier by thickening with cauliflower, versus heavy cream and flour
• Prep time is only 15 minutes
• Perfect meal for the whole family
• Can be frozen in single servings for later enjoyment
• Made from common staples and very affordable ingredients

What Does This Healthy Potato Soup Taste Like?

This potato soup tastes like comfort in a bowl, you’ll forget it’s healthy. It has a creamy texture, yet balanced with the satisfying crunch of bacon and green onions.

The flavors are enhanced with just a few pinches of salt and pepper, which adds some depth and spice to it.

What’s different about this recipe is how we thicken it. By using cauliflower, we are able to reduce the amount of potatoes, and omit unhealthy ingredients like flour and high-fat cream.

It blends into the soup effortlessly, without any degradation in flavor or texture.

Healthy Potato Soup Ingredients

With only 13 common ingredients, you can whip up a pot in no time. Below are the things you’ll need, as well as optional substitutions you could use if you want.

• Potatoes – This is the main ingredient, and provides the primary flavor and thickness. I made and tested this recipe with fresh Russets, but you could use Yukon Gold or round white ones instead.

• Cauliflower – When roasted and pureed, the cauliflower offers a lower calorie thickener that meshes with the flavor and texture of the potatoes.

• Olive oil – This is used for roasting the cauliflower and sauteing the vegetables. I chose olive oil, as it’s a healthier fat. But you could substitute with butter, or a different cooking oil of your choice.

• Milk – This provides part of the creamy base. I used skim to keep it healthy, but you could use any type that you have on hand, from fat-free to whole.

• Chicken broth – The chicken broth adds some flavor to the potatoes as they boil. If necessary, you can substitute with plain water, or drop in 4 bouillon cubes.

• Bacon – I used turkey bacon to reduce the saturated fat. It adds extra flavor, texture, and protein. Of course you could use pork if you prefer, it’s just not going to be as healthy. Or you could skip it all together.

• Onion – This helps to create a rich umami flavor, especially once caramelized, as well as a subtle sweetness. I recommend using either white or yellow.

• Green onion – This is great for garnishing and color, but also enhances the onion flavor, and gives it extra crunch. You could omit this if you aren’t a fan, or if you don’t have any on hand.

• Garlic – Adds an earthy rich flavor to the recipe.

• Sour cream – I used a light version to reduce saturated fats, but you could use any from non to full fat, or substitute it for plain Greek yogurt. It gives this healthy potato soup a slight tang, and aids in thickening it.

• Cheese – This is used to add flavor and thickness to the base, as well as for garnishing. Use a light or fat-free cheese. Or, if you prefer you could also omit it, although this will change the flavor and consistency.

• Salt – This is a flavor enhancer, but you can skip it if you prefer a lower sodium option.

• Pepper – This adds notes of spice to the recipe.

Tools & Equipment

Before making your healthy potato soup, gather all of your equipment and tools. Everything you need is listed here.

Tips For Making Healthy Potato Soup

I created this potato soup recipe to make it healthy, higher in fiber, and lower in sodium and saturated fat than a traditional version.

But you could certainly experiment with using standard ingredients, like pork bacon, full-fat milk, or substituting less cauliflower with more potatoes, if you’d like.

This recipe truly is very easy and flexible for adjusting ingredients to keep it healthy, while still maintaining a delicious end product.

FAQs

It’s common to have a few questions when trying something new. Below I’ve answered the most common ones. If you can’t find yours here, ask it in the comments below. 

Can I make this healthy potato soup vegetarian?

You can make this vegetarian by skipping the turkey bacon or substituting it for a meatless alternative, and using vegetable broth. You can also experiment with omitting the dairy or using a non-dairy creamer, but you’ll need to increase the amount of broth to compensate.

Can I make this healthy potato soup recipe low-fat?

This healthy potato soup recipe is already lower in fat than classic ones. I did this by using skim milk instead of whole, light sour cream instead of full fat, turkey bacon instead of pork, and I omitted any use of butter.

If you enjoy cozy meals this season, you will love this healthy potato soup recipe. It has such a savory flavor that is delicious all the way to the last spoonful.

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More About Potatoes

Share your favorite healthy potato soup recipe in the comments section below.

Recipe & Instructions

Yield: 12 cups

Healthy Potato Soup Recipe

This healthy potato soup recipe is a warm, creamy, and delicious meal your whole family will enjoy. I made it lighter by using cauliflower puree and reduced-fat ingredients, while still maintaining the rich flavor.

Prep Time
15 minutes

Cook Time
15 minutes

Additional Time
25 minutes

Total Time
55 minutes

Instructions

1. Prepare the cauliflower – Place cut up pieces of cauliflower on a deep sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil over it, and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt. Bake in the oven at 400°F for 20-25 minutes until it’s fork tender. Once done remove and set aside.
2. Create a puree – Add cooked cauliflower, milk, sour cream, the remaining salt and pepper to a blender, and puree until smooth. Set aside.
3. Cook the bacon – Pour the remaining olive oil into the bottom of your dutch oven or pot, place the bacon on top and cook on medium to high heat for 6-7 minutes, or until it becomes crispy to your liking. Remove, allow it to cool, then cut or break it into small pieces.
4. Cook onions and garlic – Combine the chopped onion, minced garlic and ½ of the green onions with 2-3 tablespoons of chicken broth in the pot. Cook on medium for 7 minutes until the onions are translucent. 
5. Build your base – Add the peeled and chopped potatoes to the pot with the rest of the broth. Bring to a boil then reduce and cook with the lid on for 15 minutes. Your potatoes should be fork tender. 
6. Blend – Use an immersion blender to break up the biggest chunks, and mix your soup to the texture you desire.
7. Thicken – Add the cauliflower puree mixture, ⅔ cup of cheese, and ½ of the bacon to the pot and stir everything together.
8. Garnish and serve – Use the remaining green onion, bacon, and cheese to garnish the bowls of healthy potato soup upon serving.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

2 cups

Amount Per Serving:

Calories: 447Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 45mgSodium: 1689mgCarbohydrates: 55gFiber: 7gSugar: 9gProtein: 19g