Hash Brown Potato Soup {30 Minute Recipe}

• frozen hash browns
• cheddar cheese
• cream of chicken soup
• cream of celery soup
• chicken broth
• evaporated milk
• onion (and a little oil if you need to sauté)

You can have this delicious, hearty soup on the table in under 20 minutes if you have sautéed onions in the freezer. If you don't have prepared sautéed onions, it's still a quick 30 minutes from start to finish.

Hash Brown Potato Soup uses bagged, loose frozen hash browns rather than the formed hash brown patties. Bagged hash browns come either diced or shredded. This recipe uses unseasoned diced hash browns since they are closest to chopped fresh potatoes usually used in potato soup.

If you don't care about the consistency of the potatoes, feel free to use shredded. If preferred, you can keep blending with the immersion blender until all of the potatoes are smooth and no shreds are left.

While it is not as quick and easy, you can make this potato soup with fresh potatoes. One trick to cutting down on the prep time needed is to use Yukon Gold potatoes and skip peeling them. The skins are thin and light in color, so it isn't necessary to peel the Yukon Gold potatoes first.

Quarter or dice 5 pounds of clean potatoes and add them when the instructions say to add the frozen hash browns. Simmer until the potatoes are fork-tender before moving to the next step in the instructions. Continue the instructions as directed.

Yes! I'm a huge fan of using my crock pot, and this potato soup recipe is easily adapted to the slow cooker. 

To make a crockpot potato soup, start by sautéing the onion (if you have sautéed onion in the freezer, you are a step ahead) in a skillet. Add all ingredients (reserve ½ cup cheese and the green onions for garnish) to the slow cooker and cook for about 3 hours on high or 5 hours on low.

Before serving, blend to the desired consistency with an immersion blender. Serve garnished with shredded cheese and green onions.

I like to use shredded cheddar cheese, but you can substitute a processed cheese product like Velveeta for easy, smooth melting.

I have also mixed things up by using other styles of shredded cheese based on what I have one hand. Queso cheese, Mexican-style blend, and gouda cheese are all very good in the soup.

Although not vegetarian as written, Hash Brown Potato Soup can easily be adapted for vegetarians. Simply substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth and use another can of cream of celery soup (or cream of potato soup) instead of the cream of chicken soup.

Like most soups, Hash Brown Potato Soup calls out for a slice of delicious, crusty bread for dipping. We have a Lidl nearby, so I typically buy a fresh baguette from their bakery to serve with soup.

A fresh salad is really all this soup needs to add a green vegetable.

Start by sautéing the onion in the same pot you will cook the soup in.

Add broth and bring to a boil. Add hash browns and return to a boil. Add soups and evaporated milk and stir. Bring to a simmer.

Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until it is thickened with a few chunks of potato remaining (about 2-3 minutes). This will give you a thicker, smoother soup. Remove blender.

Add all of the cheese except the portion reserved for garnish. Heat, stirring frequently, until cheese melts. Season with salt & pepper to taste before serving garnished with remaining cheese and chopped green onion.

Serve in bowls or crocks and garnish with shredded cheddar cheese and green onion.