The Best Potato Soup Recipe (+VIDEO) - The Girl Who Ate Everything (2024)

FAQs

What potato holds up best in soup? ›

Potatoes that are low-starch and high-moisture hold together better. Yukon Gold potatoes are on the medium-starch side and will hold their shape in soups. Red potatoes fall into the low-starch category, as do smaller, newer potatoes. Fingerling potatoes will do well in soups, as will long white potatoes.

Add Flour Or Cornstarch

You can thicken soup by adding flour, cornstarch, or another starchy substitute.

All types of potatoes can be used for potato soup. Russet potatoes will need to be peeled first, but white or red potatoes can be cooked with their skins for a more rustic potato soup. Leftover baked potatoes work great for this recipe as well.

Potatoes are also a great source of minerals, including iron, manganese, magnesium, copper, and potassium. A medium potato also provides about 37% of the daily value for vitamin C, an important immune-supporting antioxidant.

It's possible that the variety of potatoes you used may have a firmer texture, even when fully cooked. For soups, it's generally recommended to use russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, as they tend to break down and become softer when cooked.

Soaking potatoes in water helps remove excess starch. Excess starch can inhibit the potatoes from cooking evenly as well as creating a gummy or sticky texture on the outside of your potatoes.

Not using quality stock or broth

You can always use water in your soup, but if you want it to have a full body and dimension, a good stock or broth can make all the difference. They have the ability to transform a bland soup into a flavorful meal, as well as adding extra nutritional value.

Honestly, if you just stir in a little instant mash, like Smash, your soup will thicken up in no time at all. Now, you may end up needing more than a spoonful, but it's best to add a little at a time, because remember, you can always add more of it, but you can't take it away.

Cream cheese can be a delicious and tangy thickener for mashed potatoes so it stands to reason that it can also be used to add body to your favorite silky potato soup recipes — right? The answer is yes. It only works well if you do it carefully, though.

In general small or cubed potatoes will take about 10 to 15 minutes to boil, while larger, whole potatoes will take between 20 to 25 minutes. To check potatoes for doneness, insert a knife into one.

Is potato soup supposed to be thick or thin? ›

Potatoes naturally thicken soup, but sometimes you might want an even thicker or chunkier consistency.

Benefits of eating soup

For example, one observational study showed that people who regularly ate soup had lower body weight and waist circumference than people who didn't ( 5 ). It also found that they had better diet quality, characterized by reduced fat and increased protein and fiber intakes ( 5 ).

"Carbohydrate containing foods such as bread, pasta, rice and potatoes boost the production of a neurotransmitter known as serotonin, which can boost our mood but also make us feel content and possibly sleepy," O'Hanlon told HuffPost Australia. Cheese, turkey and bread can all make us feel a little sleepy.

Next time you find your spuds refusing to soften, whether simmered with tomatoes, cooked with a lemon marinade, or stewed in a vinegary sauce—it's probably not the potatoes at fault. Give them a par-boil in good old salted water first, before you dress them in that tart, mouth-puckering acid.

Red potatoes are waxy. They are smaller to medium in size, with smooth red skin. Since they are of the waxy potato type, they are high in moisture which keeps them firm during the cooking process.

Russet potatoes, also known as Idaho potatoes, are widely available and are an excellent substitute for Yukon Golds in recipes where a starchy texture is desired. They have a neutral flavor and a fluffy texture when cooked.

Round white potatoes (top left): These round, white spuds are low in starch and are often called waxy potatoes. They hold their shape better after cooking. This makes them one of the best potatoes for soup when you want chunks of potato with skins still on.