Famous O'Charley's Potato Soup Recipe: Savor the Flavor

Potatoes are great. They can be boiled, baked, or cooked. But perhaps one of the most underrated ways to enjoy them is by making potato soup. And when it comes to that, this O’Charley’s potato soup recipe is as good as it gets.

It’s a cold, chilly autumn evening, and all you can think about is a creamy, hearty, filling potato soup. We’ve all been there. Totally understandable. Maybe you’d like to add some paprika, along with basil and oregano. What about some meat, then? Bacon and ham? Well, our O’Charley’s potato soup recipe has it all.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Substitutions
• Variations
• Equipment
• Storage
• Tips
• O'Charley's Potato Soup Recipe
• Comments

Ingredients

• Cheddar cheese — 1 cup.
• Velveeta cheese — 1 package.
• Chicken broth — 4 cups.
• Butter — ⅓ cup.
• Half-and-half — 8 cups.
• Flour — ¼ cup.
• Red potatoes — 3 pounds.
• Parsley — ½ cup, chopped fresh.
• Garlic powder — 1 tsp.

Instructions

1. Dice the potatoes into cubes. Boil them in chicken broth for ten minutes.

2. In another pan, mix the butter and flour to make the roux. Then add the half-and-half.

3. Once the mixture is smooth, add the Velveeta cheese and the cheddar cheese. Stir well.

4. Add the boiled potatoes and garlic powder to the mixture.

5. Cook for half an hour, all the while stirring.

6. Garnish with parsley to serve.

Substitutions

• Chicken broth — The original O’Charley’s potato soup recipe calls for chicken broth, but it can be easily replaced if you’re short on it. Vegetable broth, for example, would be a great substitute for chicken broth; still providing a warm, complex flavor that you’d expect from your soup. If you’d like to go with a savory flavor, however, beef broth would suit you better. You can still use chicken or beef stock if you’d like, though you might want to reduce the amount since those two have a stronger flavor. Lastly, if sacrificing a bit of flavor wouldn’t be a problem for you, you can always use water instead.

• The cheese — Though it’s safe to assume that you’d have no problem finding cheddar cheese, the same can’t be said for Velveeta cheese. Luckily, it can be easily replaced, with parmesan cheese being the ideal substitution. Parmesan cheese has a slightly different nutty flavor, though. You can also opt for using Monterey Jack cheese. It melts easily enough and the taste isn’t that strong.

• Half-and-half — What makes half-and-half great is that it is a mix of milk and heavy cream. You can use whole milk instead, though you’ll be sacrificing some flair as your potato soup won’t be as creamy. Heavy cream is viable as well, though we’d recommend against it if you’re keeping track of your calories, considering that at least 36% of it is just fat.

• Red potatoes — Red potatoes just work well in soups, so most recipes call for it, and the O’Charley’s potato soup recipe is no exception. Due to their firm texture, red potatoes will hold their shape when cooked, instead of breaking into pieces. Red potatoes also have a mild and sweet flavor, and they pair well with lots of ingredients without standing out. However, you could also go with Yukon Gold potatoes, especially if you’d rather have your soup as creamy and smooth as possible, though they have a softer texture. Russet potatoes and white potatoes could be considered as well.

Variations

• Richer — If you’re looking for more flavor, consider adding more herbs and spices, such as dried basil, oregano, paprika, and thyme. During these cold winter days, there is simply nothing better than a potato soup loaded with herbs and spices. Well, maybe a buttercup squash soup could work as well.

• Meaty — Add some bacon, ham, or chicken to the mix, and you have a warm, flavorful, and creamy potato soup, almost like a stew. You can also add the meat on top as a serving.

Equipment

• Measuring spoons and cups.

• 2 saucepans.

Storage

• Allow the soup to cool completely, at least to room temperature.

• Once the potato soup has cooled, transfer it to an airtight container. It will last for a week once stored in your fridge.

Tips

• The potatoes — Although this one might seem unimportant, you should keep in mind that dicing the potatoes into evenly sized pieces will help your soup’s texture, and they will cook evenly as well.
  You shouldn’t mix different types of potatoes. Each kind has a different texture, and some are starchier than others.