Slow Cooker Cheesy Potato Soup

• 1 bag (32 oz) frozen southern-style diced hash brown potatoes, thawed
• 1/2 cup frozen chopped onion (from 12-oz bag), thawed
• 1 medium stalk celery, diced (1/2 cup)
• 1 carton (32-oz) chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• 3 tablespoons Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 bag (8 oz) shredded American-Cheddar cheese blend (2 cups)
• 1/4 cup real bacon pieces (from 2.8-oz package)
• 4 medium green onions, sliced (1/4 cup)
  

1. In 3- to 4-quart slow cooker, mix potatoes, onion, celery, broth and water.

2. Cover; cook on Low heat setting 6 to 8 hours.

3. In small bowl, mix flour into milk; stir into potato mixture. Increase heat setting to High. Cover; cook 20 to 30 minutes or until mixture thickens. Stir in cheese until melted. Garnish individual servings with bacon and green onions. Sprinkle with pepper if desired.

This is so easy to make!! And it's very tasty! Instead of the frozen chopped onion, I sprinkle in some chopped dried onion from the spice rack, and instead of the diced celery, I use some dried celery flakes (also in the spices section). And you can probably guess that I don't put green onions on to garnish. Last time I cut up some pieces of "heat and serve" bacon and added those when I added the flour/milk. I've also been known to add ham chunks.

Prep Time: 15 min

Total Time: 6 hours 45 min
Makes: 6 servings (1 1/2 cups each)
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): No change.


Source: Betty Crocker