Panera's Cream Cheese Potato Soup

My family loves this soup. There are a few things I done different that made it taste richer. Instead of cooking the potatoes on the stove top, (I think this maks them watery) I baked them in the microwave with the skin on. I let them cool down and then peel them and cut them into chuncks. They stay together much better, and they have a much better taste to them. If you are using red potatoes, which I prefer, leave the skin on them. I also saute my onions and garlic in a pan with butter really slow so they don't brown. I put the chicken broth in the pot first, then the onions and butter. I let the cream cheese get to room temp, and then use my wire strainer to mash the cream cheese through it with the back of a spoon. It dissolves much easier. After the soup comes to a slow boil, I add the potatoes and turn in down on simmer for a while. When I serve it, I put crispy bacon cumbles on top along with cheddar cheese and green onions. I also think it is good with a dollop of sour cream. Bake a pan of corn bread, and you have the most delicious meal you could ever eat. I use one cream cheese to one carton of chicken broth. I have to double or triple this recipe......Yuuuuuum

If sweet little baby Jesus floated down from a cloud and handed you a bowl of soup, this would be it. <br/><br/>This soup was so good that I created a username just to review and comment on it. I made the soup exactly as written. Even after adding the cream cheese I was still skeptical that it would come out okay (it's kind of ugly looking until the last minute). But after whisking in the cream cheese and letting it simmer on low heat for about 5 minutes it was obvious that this was one HELL of a soup. <br/><br/>Add an additional russet potato or two if you prefer a heartier soup, but I thought that the texture was velvety and wonderful as is.

Thank you for posting this recipe. My boyfriend was diagnosed with cancer and had half of his tongue surgically removed last July. He finished chemo and radiation 4 months ago. This is the first thing he was able to eat with ease and enjoy at the same time.

This was delicious! This is a definite keeper. Here are a couple things that I did a little differently, preparation-wise. To avoid the possibility of the cream cheese curdling (as some have said), I put my cream cheese in the blender in fourths, added some of the broth and blended to perfection. I also put a whole onion in the food processor before adding it to the soup. My kids are funny about seeing big chunks of onion in ANYTHING, so this was a great way to hide the onion and still get the great flavor. I also doubled the recipe. Simply delish!!!

I had a block of cream cheese that was near expiry and I was looking for a meal to use it up on. I'm so glad I found this recipe!!! I'll never make potato soup another way again!! It was thick and creamy, very flavorful with plenty of potatoes. And it smells out of this world! I made a few modifications. I didn't peel the potatoes. I sauteed the onions in butter & olive oil, then added 2 cloves of garlic, a pinch of red pepper flakes and the potatoes and let them cook for a few minutes before adding the broth. I used 4 cups of water and 4 bullion cubes. Finally, I threw in about 2 tbsp of dried chives. Quick, easy and AMAZING -- thank you Shawn!!