Essential Ingredients for Your Easy Potato Soup

Making a delicious, creamy hash brown potato soup doesn’t require a long list of fancy ingredients. In fact, many of these items are probably already in your pantry or freezer! We focus on using convenient, readily available components to ensure this recipe is truly a breeze.

• Frozen Hash Browns: The star of our quick potato soup. We recommend using diced hash browns for a texture closest to traditional potato soup, but shredded works if preferred. No peeling or chopping of fresh potatoes needed!
• Cheddar Cheese: Adds a rich, tangy, and utterly comforting cheesiness. Shredded cheddar melts beautifully into the soup, creating a creamy texture and delicious flavor.
• Cream of Chicken Soup & Cream of Celery Soup: These condensed soups are fantastic shortcuts, providing a ready-made creamy base and layers of savory flavor without extra effort. They act as natural thickeners and enhance the overall richness.
• Chicken Broth: The liquid base for our soup, providing fundamental flavor. Opt for low-sodium chicken broth to control the salt content.
• Evaporated Milk: Unlike regular milk, evaporated milk is richer and more stable at high temperatures, preventing curdling and adding an extra layer of creaminess to your soup.
• Onion (and a little oil if sautéing): Sautéing onion at the beginning adds a depth of savory aromatic flavor that elevates the entire soup. If using pre-sautéed frozen onions, you’re even further ahead!

Smart Prep-Ahead Tips for Even Faster Hash Brown Potato Soup

One of the reasons this Hash Brown Potato Soup is a designated “crisis meal” is its incredible speed, especially when you leverage a few smart prep-ahead strategies. A crisis meal, in my book, is any dish that can be on the table in 20-30 minutes using ingredients you typically keep on hand in your pantry or freezer. Frozen ingredients are particularly useful here, as they offer the convenience of fresh produce without the perishability.

Maximize Your Freezer for Speedy Meals

• Frozen Cheese Power: Did you know shredded cheese freezes wonderfully? I always keep a generous supply of various shredded cheeses in my freezer, ready to be pulled out for recipes like this soup, casseroles, or tacos. Simply buy it on sale, toss it in a freezer-safe bag, and it’ll last for several months. It melts just as beautifully from frozen as it does fresh, saving you grating time and ensuring you always have cheese on hand.
• Batch Cook Onions: Fresh onions can soften quickly, but there’s a trick to having them ready whenever you need them. Our method of bulk cooking onions involves sautéing a whole bag at once and then freezing them in convenient 1-cup portions. This means you’ll always have perfectly prepped, sautéed onions ready to go for any recipe, including this potato soup. You can even add them to the soup directly from frozen, though this might add a minute or two to your cooking time as they thaw and heat through.
• One-Time Prep Efficiency: If you’re preparing this hash brown potato soup and want to replenish your freezer stash of sautéed onions, consider doing a larger batch. Chop all the onions from a bag at once, sauté them, use what you need for the soup, and then freeze the rest in individual portions. This minimizes chopping and dishwashing over time, making future “crisis meals” even quicker. It’s all about working smarter, not harder, in the kitchen!

Step-by-Step: Crafting Your Creamy Hash Brown Potato Soup

Follow these simple steps to create a rich and satisfying hash brown potato soup. The process is designed for speed and convenience, making it perfect for any day of the week.

1. Sauté the Onion: Begin by sautéing your chopped onion in a tablespoon of oil directly in the soup pot you’ll be using. This builds a foundational layer of flavor, softening the onions and making them slightly sweet. If you’re using pre-sautéed frozen onions, you can skip this step or briefly warm them through.
2. Add Broth and Hash Browns: Pour in the chicken broth and bring it to a rolling boil. Once boiling, add your bag of frozen hash browns. Return the mixture to a boil. The goal here is to get the hash browns cooking and softening quickly in the hot broth.




3. Introduce Creamy Elements: Reduce the heat to a simmer. Stir in the condensed cream of celery soup, cream of chicken soup, and evaporated milk. Mix thoroughly until everything is well combined and the soup begins to thicken. Allow it to gently simmer, letting the flavors meld and the hash browns continue to soften.




4. Achieve Your Desired Consistency: For a thicker, smoother soup with just a few tender potato chunks, use an immersion blender. Blend directly in the pot for about 2-3 minutes. If you prefer a completely smooth soup, blend for longer until all potato pieces are incorporated. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can mash the tender hash browns against the side of the pot with a sturdy spoon or a potato masher to achieve a similar effect.




5. Melt in the Cheese: Remove the immersion blender. Add almost all of the shredded cheddar cheese to the pot, reserving a small portion for garnish. Stir frequently over low heat until the cheese is completely melted and incorporated, creating a rich, cheesy potato soup.




6. Season and Serve: Taste the soup and season generously with salt and pepper as needed. Ladle the hot soup into bowls or crocks. Garnish each serving with the remaining shredded cheddar cheese and a sprinkle of fresh chopped green onions for a vibrant finish. Enjoy your homemade, quick, and comforting potato soup!

Frequently Asked Questions About Hash Brown Potato Soup

Potato Soup with Hash Browns (30-Minute Recipe)

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