This Bacon Cheddar Soup is SUPER creamy and made with three kinds of cheese and thick-cut smoked bacon. Quick and easy to make, it’s the perfect soup for Saint Patrick’s Day!
While I was looking for recipes for Saint Patrick’s Day, I came upon a lot of recipes for Beer Cheese Soup. Seeing as how I don’t drink beer (or use alcohol in my cooking), I needed to find another option.
Enter this Bacon Cheddar Soup that is SO rich and smooth with a wonderful slightly tangy flavor, finished by just a hint of cayenne. It’s the perfect complement to your Irish meal!
Bacon Cheddar Soup
Ingredients for Bacon Cheddar Soup
- Thick-cut smoked bacon
- White or yellow onion
- Whole milk or half-and-half
- Chicken broth
- Shredded cheese (three cheese combo–your choice on the flavors)
- Flour
- Cayenne Pepper
- Fresh thyme (optional)
How to Make Bacon Cheddar Soup
Get a medium-sized pan or stock pot out and put it on your stove. Turn the heat onto medium.
Meanwhile, cut up your three slices of thick-cut bacon into small pieces. Chop your onion into small pieces. You want 3/4 cup minced onion.
Throw the bacon pieces into the pot on the stove and cook until crispy. Use a slotted spoon to remove the cooked bacon and place it on a paper-towel-lined plate.
Reserve two tablespoons of drippings in the pan. (If you have more than two tablespoons of drippings, pour out the excess. But don’t pour it down the sink!)
Now add your chopped onion to the bacon drippings and stir occasionally until the onions get tender. This will take about 4-5 minutes.
Add the flour and cayenne pepper and stir in with the onions and bacon drippings for about 30 seconds.
Then add the milk or half-and-half (I made my own half-and-half by using half skim milk and half heavy whipping cream) and the chicken broth.
Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.
Once it comes to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer the soup for about five minutes. Stay close and monitor the heat so that your soup doesn’t boil over!
Remove from the heat and add your shredded cheese. Stir until the cheese is completely melted.
Serve immediately. Top with the reserved bacon. You can also add extra shredded cheese to the top if you wish. I added fresh thyme, and it was AMAZING. I highly recommend this extra little garnish. It really makes the soup special!
The soup begins to form a “skin” on the top as it cools. That’s why it’s important to serve it right away. If you can’t serve it right away, or the skin forms despite your best efforts, just cover it up with more bacon and shredded cheese 🙂
As mentioned before, this soup is REALLY thick. If you want it to be a bit lighter, omit the flour and use skim milk. If you do this, however, your cheese may not melt as nicely into the soup. Just had to warn you!
This recipe adapted from Sargento.
Today’s Freebie!
Bacon Cheddar Soup
This Bacon Cheddar Soup is SUPER creamy and made with three kinds of cheese and thick-cut smoked bacon. Quick and easy to make, it's the perfect soup for Saint Patrick's Day!
Ingredients
- 3 pieces thick-cut smoked bacon
- 3/4 cup minced onion
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk or half-and-half
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (preferably a blend of cheeses), divided
- Fresh thyme (optional)
Instructions
- Place a medim-sized pan or stock pot on the stove and turn the heat on to medium.
- Chop your onion and bacon.
- Place the chopped bacon into the hot pan and cook until crispy. Remove to a paper-towel-lined plate with a slotted spoon.
- Pour off all but two tablespoons of bacon drippings.
- Add the minced onions to the bacon drippings and cook over medium heat for about five minutes, until tender.
- Add the three tablespoons of flour and cayenne pepper. Stir in with the onions until everything is coated, about thirty seconds.
- Add the milk or half-and-half and the chicken broth. Stir and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- As soon as the soup boils, reduce the heat to low and simmer for about five minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove from the heat and add 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheese. Stir until the cheese has melted.
- Serve immediately with the reserved bacon and shredded cheese. Sprinkle with fresh thyme (optional).
Notes
If you don't want your soup to be so thick, leave out the flour and/or use skim milk.
If you want this soup to be completely smooth, leave the onions out our puree the soup in the blender.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 348Total Fat: 24gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 71mgSodium: 807mgCarbohydrates: 16gFiber: 1gSugar: 7gProtein: 19g
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Julie Evink says
You had me at bacon and cheese! So delicious!
Coleen Koehl says
This was the perfect bowl of soup to warm up with today. So good!
Danielle Green says
This looks like an awesome creamy luncheon soup for one of our cold Minnesota days!
Malinda Linnebur says
It doesn’t get better than bacon and cheese!!! Thanks for such a delicious recipe!
Ann says
Great recipe! I mixed the bacon into the soup while it was simmering and it delicious.
Melissa Howell says
So glad you liked it!