I Can't Stop Riffing On This 4-Ingredient Potato Soup

When the Mock Turtle sang about "soup of the evening, beautiful soup" in "Alice in Wonderland," I felt that in my very bones. As far as I'm concerned, hot soup is the absolute epitome of comfort food, whether you're slurping creamy tomato soup with basil oil or cracking open the best store-bought broccoli cheddar soup. Great soup sticks to the ribs, warms your belly, and tastes oh-so-delish with possibly my favorite food in the world: crusty bread.

A million years ago, I saw a firefighter on Reddit talking about mixing up frozen hash browns, cream of [fill in the blank] condensed soup, chicken broth, and cream cheese for a thick, dreamy potato soup that they whipped up when it was their turn to cook a shift meal. As an inveterate lover of all things carb-y (see aforementioned comment about bread), I knew this was something I had to try. The exact recipe that the Redditor laid out has long since been lost to the fathomless cesspool of the internet, but I'm here to tell you that you don't need specifics. Cubed or slivered hashbrowns will both work, any kind of broth or stock does the trick, and you can either use a light hand with the cream cheese or go absolutely ham tossing it in there.

It works fine on the stovetop or equally well in your Instant Pot or slow-cooker. Just let things get all melty and delicious and give it a good stir, being careful not to let the bottom scorch. All by itself, I can attest that this potato soup is a sturdy, nourishing meal that's pretty darn good. Where it really shines, however, is when you get a little creative and start adding to it, building dozens of variations on one solid four-ingredient foundation.

The logical treatment of this potato soup is to add freshly shredded cheese, green onion, sour cream, and crispy bacon or pancetta (yes, there's a difference) and give it the loaded baked potato soup treatment. My family loves it this way, and it makes for a supremely easy and filling meal on cold nights. But I promise you, that's not the limit to what you can do with this pot o' yumminess.

Add ground beef, cheese, and some mustard powder ... voilà, you have cheeseburger soup, with or without bacon. In the summer, when sweet corn is in season, I like to shuck a couple of ears and add diced ham and a can of green chilies for a luscious corn chowder. To feed my vegetarian best friend, I'll cube some russets and throw in cauliflower florets and broccoli for body (making sure to use vegetable stock, of course). When I have some on hand after a family visit, I also have been known to honor my Fall River Portuguese ancestors by loading chouriço or linguica (neither of which is the same thing as chorizo) and kale to the pot, along with my own addition — a package of dried gnocchi. 

I admit that my passion for potato soup may be clouding my judgment, but I'm willing to go out on a limb and speculate that this easy, delicious potato soup might just be the heavens' perfect gift to my weekly dinner menu. It can become yours, too, if you are willing to tap into your inner well of culinary playfulness and experiment with flavors.