#TastyTuesday - Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Happy Tuesday, everyone! Y'all know by now my affinity for crockpot meals...well here comes one more. It's really warm on the NorthCoast today (and yesterday), but this is the perfect soup for a chilly day in the fall and winter...it's warm and hearty and it makes the house smell so good!

Here we go: Crockpot Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Ingredients:

30 ounce bag of frozen hashbrowns (I like the cubed kind, you could also cube 1.5 pounds of raw potatoes)
28 ounces of chicken broth (you can sub veggie broth nicely)
10 ounce can cream of chicken soup
1 tablespoon minced onion (i like the dried stuff, primarily because I hate mincing raw onions. If you don't like onion, just leave this ingredient out)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
8 ounces cream cheese, softened (don't skimp, use Philadelphia brand)
5 slices of cooked bacon, crumbled (don't substitute packaged bacon bits, bake/cook it fresh)
2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese (velveeta will work in a pinch)

Directions:
In the crockpot pot mix together the hashbrowns, broth, soup, onion and pepper together. Cook on low for 5 hours and then stir in the cream cheese. Cook 30 minutes longer. Dish up, using the bacon crumbles and shredded cheese as garnish. Serve.