Creamy and thick, this potato soup is topped with savory cheese, fresh chives and crumbled bacon. It tastes just like O’Charley’s loaded baked potato soup!
Cream-based, silky and rich, this is almost an exact copycat of O’Charley’s loaded baked potato soup. A delicious indulgence that will have you coming back for a second bowl!
Growing up, my family and I would go out to eat at O’Charley’s restaurant often and I would inevitably chow down on two things… the dinner rolls (OMG they’re so good!) and the loaded baked potato soup! It was so rich, so creamy, so cheesy and full of yumminess!
Over the years I’ve gone back to O’Charley’s and was a little disappointed to find that the soup had changed. It didn’t seem to have as much flavor, used different potatoes and the chives had disappeared completely. Bummer!! Thankfully, we live in a computer age where there are copycat recipes for just about any restaurant out there 😉
I found a decent base recipe on CDKitchen, made a few tweaks and came up with a truly delicious copycat of the original!
In all fairness, I will warn you… this is NOT a “skinny” soup. It certainly won’t win any health awards. If you’re a person who hates anything that uses canned soups (such as Campbells cooking soups), then this isn’t the recipe for you. I do try to cook from scratch or as much from scratch as I can most of the time… however, to get the flavor that I think is very similar to the original O’Charley’s version, you need to use some not so “from scratch” items. So yeah, obviously you’re not going to want to eat this soup every single night. Well, you’ll want to, but you probably shouldn’t lol.
Some of the parts of this soup can be made ahead of time, which can really cut down on the time spent in the kitchen on the night of. The bacon can be cooked ahead of time and crumbled, chives can be chopped and kept in the refrigerator, and the potatoes can be par-boiled and kept in the refrigerator.
For this recipe, I think the garnishes are pretty much a “must”… they take a good soup and make it OMG great!
Just imagine diving into a bowl like that on a cold evening… perfection!
Soooooo creamy!!
Save yourself a trip to the restaurant… make this loaded baked potato soup at home, you won’t regret it 🙂
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Ingredients
- 3 lbs red potatoes
- chicken stock (enough to cover potatoes)
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup flour
- 4 cups half-and-half
- 4 cups milk
- 16 oz Velveeta cheese melted
- 3 cans Campbell's Cheddar Cheese soup
- 2 tsp Black pepper more or less, to taste
- 2 tsp Garlic powder more or less, to taste
- 1 1/2 - 2 tsp hot sauce
- 1/2 lb bacon cooked and crumbled
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- Fresh chives chopped
Instructions
- Wash and scrub potatoes. Dry, and dice into 1/2" cubes. Place potatoes in a large pot, cover with chicken stock, bring to a boil. Boil for approximately 10 minutes, or until they are 3/4 of the way cooked. Drain and set aside.
- In a large dutch oven or stock pot, melt butter over MED heat. Add flour and whisk until smooth. Let flour mixture cook about 1-2 minutes.
- Carefully pour in half and half and milk, whisking constantly. Continue whisking until liquid is smooth and starts to thicken slightly.
- Add in melted Velveeta cheese and whisk to combine. Add in the cans of cheddar cheese soup and whisk until everything is smooth.
- Stir in hot sauce, pepper and garlic powder.
- Add in boiled potatoes, stir, and place lid on pot.
- Cook over LOW heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- To Serve:
- Top individual servings with a sprinkling of cheddar cheese, crumbled bacon and fresh chives.
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RaineyDayCreations says
I can’t wait to make this soup on a cold evening in upper Midwest! I did have a question though:
I was wondering if sliced jalapeños could be added on top with or without chives or would you add them directly to the soup while cooking? I certainly don’t want to ruin or overpower the original taste…..so what are your thoughts?
Thanks so much!!
The Chunky Chef says
I think sliced jalapenos would be delicious! I’d still do the chives, and if the jalapenos are fresh, I’d add them on top as a garnish. If they’re pickled, you could add a bit to the soup 🙂
Stephanie says
Is the 1 cup of cheddar mild or sharp cheddar cheese?
The Chunky Chef says
Whichever you prefer 🙂
Lisa P. says
I made this for the family last night (minus the hot sauce) and it was AMAZING and super easy. Thanks for the fabulous recipe!! 😁
T says
Close to O’Charleys, but still not as good. I felt like it’s missing real cheddar flavor or something. Also, I didn’t like the Campbells cheddar soup.
Randy sledge says
Great Recipe better then original. Will have plenty of leftovers
Olivia Emond says
Absolutely AMAZING recipe! Some adjustments I made was cutting back on the black pepper and I added more potatoes! But overall, absolutely delicious, tastes just like Ocharleys potato soup! Personally, I think it is better on day 2!!
Nikki says
Delicious! Thank you so much for sharing. There was SO much that I think our family of 3 will have 2 more meals of potato soup this week! If we get tired of it, I might try to freeze 1/3 of it for another week.
Jordan says
Have you ever made this with a crockpot? Any ideas how to make that work?
The Chunky Chef says
I haven’t tested this exact recipe in the crockpot, but I do have a crockpot baked potato soup https://www.thechunkychef.com/skinny-slow-cooker-loaded-potato-soup/
Laura Perdue says
Loved this recipe! I added a can of fiesta nacho cheese to mine, extra teaspoon of hot sauce, extra teaspoon of garlic powder and one extra of pepper.. I also mixed the bacon bits into the soup..it really turned out delicious…
Connor says
What type of hot sauce did u use?
The Chunky Chef says
Franks red hot, but any brand will do 🙂
Bev Denbow says
I fixed the Loaded Baked Potato Soup tonight for my daughter, husband and myself. We thoroughly LOVED it. This recipe is definitely going in my keepers stash. It made enough to share with my mother-, father-, and brother-in-law and still have some for leftovers. THANK YOU.
Mandy Kimberly says
Loved this! A true copy of O’charleys original, but now you can have as much as you want with even more potatoes and bacon in your bowl! It is very heavy so a nap is in order afterwards but worth it!
Amanda Spears says
Just made this and it is delicious. I added a little extra hot sauce and salt. Ate it with yeast rolls, yummy! Perfect for a cold October night.
Steve Hawkins says
My wife (Amy Hawkins) made this yesterday. She has to follow a recipe exactly the first time she makes a dish. This was DELISIOUS!! I would not change a thing. Actually better than O’Charley’s.
Kelly says
Do you peel the red potatoes first?
The Chunky Chef says
I like the texture of the skins, but you can definitely peel them if you want 🙂
Brooke mcinnis says
Have you ever freezed leftovers or made it ahead of time and froze and cooked it on another day
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Brooke 🙂 I haven’t, so I can’t say for certain whether than will work or not. Sometimes cream-based soups can take on a different texture and consistency after being frozen.
Agness of Run Agness Run says
This soup looks so mouth-watering! Cannot wait to prepare it!
Marissa says
I made this for supper tonight. We are Catholic, it is Lent, and it is Friday, so we had to leave out the bacon. I made 2 other small changes besides the bacon. I replaced 1 can of cheddar cheese soup with nacho cheese soup to spice it up a bit….. AMAZING!! I also used heavy whipping cream instead of half and half, because I didn’t realize I was using it until I had emptied the carton and was tossing it in the trash. It still tastes great! This made enough to freeze and eat for every Friday of Lent and then some (I will probably add bacon when Lent is over!) Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Jennifer says
I like potato and honestly, it is rather difficult for me to make this dish, but I made it finally and it tasted very good. I will cook the dish for my friends at this weekend, I am sure that they will love it. Thank you for the recipe!
Jenny says
I’m not one to leave comments, but I tried this soup and it was sooo delicious!!!! So creamy and thick. Just what I was looking for! Will definitely make again! Thanks for sharing!!
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Jenny 🙂 Well I’m certainly glad you left a comment… and thank you for your kind words!
Cassey Corbit says
Why did mine turn out so bland? What do you use to get the milky taste out.
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Cassey 🙂 I’ve never had a problem with it being bland… did you add all the seasonings and/or garnishes? If you did, then maybe add a bit more of them next time, or some more hot sauce. It’s definitely supposed to taste ultra creamy, but not milky.