Cheesy Potato Soup Crockpot Recipe 475

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion in butter until translucent. Stir in flour until smooth, then gradually stir in 2 cups water, carrots, celery, garlic, salt, and pepper. Heat through, then stir in milk. Dissolve chicken base in 1 cup warm water, and pour into vegetable mixture.
• Place potatoes in slow cooker, and pour heated vegetable mixture into potatoes. Place bay leaf in pot.
• Cover, and cook 5 hours on High, or 8 hours on Low.
• Remove bay leaf. Puree about 4 cups of the soup in a blender or food processor, and then stir pureed soup into contents of slow cooker. Stir in cheese and bacon until cheese is melted.

Steps:

• In 12-inch skillet, cook bacon over medium heat, turning occasionally, until browned and crispy. Remove from skillet, reserving fat in skillet. Drain bacon on paper towel, then refrigerate. In same skillet, cook onion in bacon fat over medium heat 4 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender Spray 3 1/2- to 4-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. In cooker, mix onion, potatoes, celery, broth, salt and pepper Cover; cook on Low heat setting 6 to 7 hours In small bowl, beat flour and half-and-half with wire whisk until well blended; stir into soup. Increase heat setting to high Cover; cook about 30 minutes longer or until thickened Stir in cheese until well melted Crumble bacon; sprinkle over soup One cup fat-free half-and-half or milk can be substituted for the half-and-half Add 1/2 cup sliced carrot with the vegetables

Steps:

• Wash and prepare vegetables as directed.
• Place vegetables in crock pot and add enough water to cover the vegetables. Cover and cook on Low for 8 to 10 hours or on High for 4 to 5 hours, or until vegetables are tender.
• An hour before serving, melt 1/2 cup butter in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Add flour and mix well.
• Uncover vegetables and using a measuring cup, measure out 2 - 3 cups of the water from the Crock pot. Add these 2 - 3 cups of water to the flour and butter mixture on the stove top.
• If you only added 2 cups of water from the cooked vegetables, add 1 more additional cup of water.(To get the broth to your ideal consistency, you may need to add additional water or not add as much).
• Add chicken bouillon cubes to butter/flour/water mixture and dissolve well.
• Finally, add 8 ounces of Cheese Whiz to the mixture and mix till melted.
• Pour entire mixture carefully into the crock pot and cover and cook on high for at least 45 minutes.
• Serve with crusty French Bread.