Good evening, my dear friends! It’s a chilly Saturday night here in Khenifra, and my kitchen is filled with the most incredible, comforting aroma. On nights like this, I always turn to hearty, rustic recipes that feel like a warm hug, and this Pioneer Woman Potato Soup is the absolute best. Inspired by the down-home, soulful cooking of Ree Drummond, this soup is thick, creamy yet chunky, and loaded with tender potatoes, sweet carrots, and savory goodness. It strikes that perfect balance between a deeply satisfying comfort food and a simple, one-pot meal made with wholesome, everyday ingredients.
Serving Versatility
This glorious, hearty soup is a complete meal in a bowl! Serve it up with your favorite toppings, pair it with a crisp salad for a classic combo, or serve it alongside warm biscuits or cornbread for the ultimate comforting dinner.
Full Recipe: My Rustic, Hearty Potato Soup
Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 30 minutes Total time: 45 minutes Servings: 6-8 Calories: Approximately 380 calories per serving
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 2.5 lbs potatoes, peeled and diced (about 5-6 medium potatoes; Russets or Yukon Golds are great, but this also makes a lovely red potato soup recipe!)
- 1 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Optional Toppings: Shredded cheddar cheese, cooked and crumbled bacon, sliced green onions or chives
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the chopped onion, carrots, and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, about 8-10 minutes. This creates a wonderful flavor base for your homemade potato soup with carrots.
- Stir in the minced garlic and cook for one more minute until fragrant.
- Pour in the chicken or vegetable broth and add the diced potatoes. Bring the mixture to a boil.
- Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover the pot and let it cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the potatoes are very tender and can be easily pierced with a fork.
- Uncover the pot. Use a potato masher to gently mash about half of the potatoes directly in the pot. This is the secret to that perfect, rustic, creamy-and-chunky texture you find in a great Ree Drummond potato soup.
- Reduce the heat to low. Slowly stir in the heavy cream. Let the soup warm through gently for a few minutes, but do not let it boil.
- Season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste.
- Ladle the hot soup into bowls and let everyone load it up with their favorite toppings!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Quick preparation: This is truly a homemade soup easy enough for any weeknight, ready in about 45 minutes.
- Budget-friendly ingredients: It uses simple, affordable vegetables and pantry staples to create a meal that tastes like a million bucks.
- Big, cozy flavor: It’s hearty, rustic, and incredibly satisfying, with a down-home flavor that never fails to comfort.
- Nutritional value: It’s loaded with wholesome vegetables, making it a nourishing and filling meal.
- Customizability: This potato soup Pioneer Woman style is a perfect base. Add cheese, bacon, or different herbs to make it your own!
Cultural or Cooking Technique Note
This recipe is all about embracing that wonderful “Pioneer Woman” style of cooking, which is rooted in accessible, hearty, and family-friendly comfort food. The key technique here is partially mashing the potatoes directly in the pot. This simple, rustic method creates a soup that’s the perfect blend of creamy and chunky without ever needing to pull out a blender. It’s a down-to-earth trick that gives the soup a wonderful, homestyle texture, which is likely why this style of soup has become a viral potato soup time and again.
Serving Suggestions
- The Fully Loaded Bowl: Pile on the toppings! Shredded sharp cheddar cheese, crispy crumbled bacon, and a sprinkle of sliced green onions are a classic and unbeatable combination.
- With Warm Biscuits: Serve with a side of warm, flaky biscuits (a nod to that cozy Pillsbury potato soup recipe feel) or a big piece of cornbread for dipping.
- Soup and Salad Night: Pair a warm bowl of this soup with a simple green salad dressed in a tangy vinaigrette for a complete and comforting meal.
- In a Bread Bowl: For an extra-special treat, serve this thick and hearty soup inside a hollowed-out sourdough bread bowl.
Pro Tips for Success
- Uniform Veggies: Chop your potatoes, carrots, and celery into roughly the same size pieces to ensure they all cook evenly and become tender at the same time.
- Don’t Scrimp on the Sauté: Take the time to properly soften the onion, carrots, and celery in butter at the beginning. This step, called building a mirepoix, creates a deep, savory foundation for the entire soup.
- Mash with Care: Gently mash the potatoes right in the pot. Be careful not to over-mash, as potatoes can become gummy if overworked. You want to leave plenty of nice, tender chunks.
- Low and Slow for Dairy: Always add your cream or milk at the very end over low heat. Boiling dairy can cause it to curdle, so just warm it through gently.
Storage & Reheating
Store any leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. While you can freeze potato soup, please note that the texture of the potatoes can become a bit grainy upon thawing due to their high water content. To reheat, warm the soup gently on the stovetop over low heat, stirring frequently until it’s heated through.
Closing Paragraph
I am so excited for you to bring the cozy, rustic charm of this Pioneer Woman Potato Soup into your own kitchen. It’s a simple, honest, and deeply comforting meal that is perfect for sharing with the people you love. Please give it a try, load it up with toppings, and be sure to come back and leave a rating and a comment to let me know how much you enjoyed it!
🎀 Final Thoughts
This soup, for me, is the taste of home. It’s not fancy, but it’s real, it’s hearty, and it’s made with love. It’s the kind of meal that slows down time a little bit and reminds you of what’s truly important. I hope it brings as much warmth and comfort to your family table as it does to mine.