Okay, so I got hooked on that Panera baked potato soup a while back. Seriously good stuff. Ate it way too often. Then I thought, hey, I should try making this myself. Save some money, you know? Plus, it’s kind of fun figuring things out.
First step, obviously, was eating more of it. But this time, I was really paying attention. Like, what am I actually tasting here? Potatoes, obviously. Creamy base, definitely. But what else? There’s a bit of smoky flavor, gotta be bacon. And some sharpness… cheese, for sure. Maybe some oniony thing going on too?
I looked online, sure. Found lists people posted, even Panera’s own stuff sometimes. But those lists can be long, full of stuff I don’t normally keep around or words I barely understand. Preservatives, stabilizers, blah blah blah. I just wanted the basics, the stuff that makes the flavor.
So, I started messing around in my kitchen. Got some russet potatoes, baked ’em up nice and soft. Scooped out the insides. That’s the foundation, right?
Then the creamy part. Tried milk, tried heavy cream, tried half-and-half. Heavy cream felt a bit too heavy, milk too thin. A mix, or maybe just chicken broth with some cream felt closer. Yeah, chicken broth adds a savory background flavor that seemed right.
Bacon was easy. Cooked some up, crumbled it. Some went in the soup, some saved for the top. That smoky, salty kick is important.
Cheese. Definitely cheddar. Sharp cheddar seemed to match that tang I tasted. Melted it right into the soup base.
What else? I kept tasting my versions and comparing them to the memory of Panera’s. Felt like it needed a little something savory, maybe some onion or garlic? Sautéed some yellow onion until it was soft, added a tiny bit of garlic. That helped build the flavor.
Seasoning was key too. Salt and black pepper, obviously. But I felt there was something else, maybe a tiny bit of white pepper? Or was it just the bacon and cheese doing the heavy lifting? Stuck with salt and black pepper mostly.
Oh, and chives! Or maybe green onions. That fresh green stuff on top. Definitely needed that for garnish and a bit of fresh bite.
So, After All That Tinkering…
Here’s what I landed on as the core stuff you need, based on my taste buds and kitchen trials:
- Baked Potatoes: Russets work best, baked till fluffy.
- Chicken Broth: For that savory liquid base.
- Heavy Cream: Just enough to make it rich and creamy, but not too much.
- Onion: Yellow onion, sautéed soft. Adds sweetness.
- Sharp Cheddar Cheese: Gotta have that cheesy tang.
- Bacon: Cooked crispy, crumbled. Some in, some on top.
- Butter: For sautéing the onion, adds richness.
- Salt & Black Pepper: The essential seasonings.
- Chives/Green Onions: Fresh green stuff for topping.
That’s pretty much it. Took some trial and error, tasting back and forth, but this combo gets me pretty close to that soup I was craving. It’s not exactly Panera’s, probably missing some secret powder or something, but it hits the spot when I make it at home.
