Today I’m sharing gluten-free Baked Potato Soup but first I want to talk about snowdrops and snow. We have a flower bed beside our patio. Only three types of flowers grow there throughout the year.
![Not much beats a mug of this gluten-free Baked Potato Soup on a cold day! And with the help of your microwave, you can be enjoying it in just a few minutes! [from GlutenFreeEasily.com] (photo)](https://glutenfreeeasily.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/Gluten-Free-Baked-Potato-Soup-wm.jpg)
Baked Potato Soup (as you can see, I leave the skins of some of my potatoes)
From April to October, the bed is filled with impatiens. They are the “standard issue” impatiens and the colors vary by what’s available each year. We plant impatiens not because they are our absolute favorite flower, but because of their easygoing nature. Our house is in the woods and we need flowers that are tolerant of both full shade and low maintenance. 😉 Impatiens fit the bill, and by the end of the growing season, their showy display is impressive.
However, during the late fall and winter months, this particular flower bed looks pretty sad and lonely. The fact that this bed is right beside my immediate “at the ready” firewood supply for the woodstove does not help at all … as the errant log and large sheaths of bark often find their way into the bed. The upper floor of our house is T-shaped and the patio is actually the space under the base of that T. It’s also right outside our den where our woodstove is located. (I designed our house with the openness we wanted and the ease of heating with wood foremost in my mind.)
Mr. GFE keeps me well supplied with wood, which often means the wood is stacked a good 3- or 4- feet high between the columns that frame the patio. For months, I don’t usually even see the flower bed unless I go wandering into that part of our yard and woods, perhaps checking out something that the cats are up to.
Right before Valentine’s Day, I walked into our woods down the hill from the patio to empty our chinchilla’s cage of its shredded pine bedding. Admittedly, it’s a task I often relegate to Mr. GFE when he’s out in the yard refilling the bird feeders, but this time I was working on my “to do” list for our Valentine’s Day party and the timing was off to make it one of his collateral duties.
Coming back up the hill, I was rewarded by the lovely sight of more than a dozen snowdrops in the flower bed. I stopped and smiled and thought, yep, it’s that time again. Every single year, without fail, I am joyfully surprised by the appearance of snowdrops. 🙂
Snowdrops are aptly named because they show up at the time of year when snow is still in the forecast and they are often seen peeking through snow. When you are dreaming of seeds and bedding plants in a few months and your only expectations of fresh flowers are from the florist, suddenly, there they are for you. Their appearance always seems kind of magical.
Today’s forecast is for several inches of snow. So, this morning out of curiosity, I purposely stepped around our firewood “fortress” to see how many snowdrops remained. I saw three and they looked as pretty as ever, no worse for the wear from the rain and sleet of the last 24 hours. One was actually outside the confines of the flower bed—on its way down the hill—but still standing proud and pretty. (Its errant location was a nicer reminder than the stack of landscape timbers off to the side of the patio that we need to re-do the flower bed as the timbers have fallen away due to gravity and time.)
The funny thing about snowdrops is they look so delicate and fragile to me, much like lilies of the valley in their fragility and whiteness fringed with green. I wonder how they can survive the cold and snow and remain so intact and beautiful. Yet they do, year after year. Best of all, they are another sign that spring is coming. When my prolific blue star flowers (sometimes called Star of David flowers), the third type of flower that graces this bed, follow in a few weeks, I will know for certain winter is behind us.
However, today winter remains and with the snow soon to make its appearance here, a suitable dinner is needed. You guys already know I’m a soup kind of girl! Suited to a snow day as the snowdrop is, is a hearty, flavorful soup. What kind of soup recipe do I turn to when I am otherwise occupied (e.g., doing taxes today) and don’t plan to be in the kitchen enjoying the soup “process,” as I do with my Everything Soup? Well, I have a couple of quick soup recipes I rely on … like this hearty Baked Potato Soup recipe.
It was shared on the personal finance blog, Get Rich Slowly. (I am nothing, if not a girl of many interests.) The site originator’s now ex-wife, Kris, is the mastermind behind this very simple and easy, yet wonderfully tasty soup. It’s pretty frugal (always important, but especially appreciated these days) and it’s made from ingredients that almost everyone has on hand.
That latter fact makes any recipe a winner for me, but especially on a snowy day. (The snow just started coming down!) After all, you don’t want to go to the grocery store and face the “snow is coming and, oh, no, I might run out of TP, milk, bread, or junk food” crowds, do you? I didn’t think soooo! (Of course, that might only be in Virginia where that particular phenomenon occurs. Do tell.) Finally, this recipe is naturally gluten free, so it’s GFE! Love that, and love this soup!
Do you have a food or recipe that you call on when snow is imminent or already falling? One that warms your body and your soul perhaps. Tell us about it. Perhaps you have your own “must have” gluten-free baked potato soup recipe … we’d like to hear about that, too!
More Chowder and Soup Recipes You Will Love
~ Bacon Chicken (or Turkey) Corn Chowder
~ Egg Flower Soup (aka Egg Drop Soup) for One
~ Pennsylvania Dutch Rivel Soup (be sure to use the gluten-free option)
~ Slow Cooker Potato Zucchini Soup
Gluten-Free Baked Potato Soup Recipe
A total comfort food soup recipe that comes together very quickly. Even guest worthy. I often make this soup for friends who are in need of special meal delivery. Makes about 4 servings. It will stretch further if it's not the main course. Serve alone, with GFE popovers or my cornbread, or other favorite bread or crackers. (Check out A Bountiful Bread Basket series for more wonderful gluten-free bread recipes from my blogger friends.) This recipe is also great to turn to when you have a couple of potatoes in your pantry that will soon be sprouting offspring (if enough dirt gets thrown their way!). It's very well received when shared with others, too---it looks very appealing in a canning jar. If you've always shied away from potato skins in recipes, don't this time. The skins give a nice heartiness to the soup and add more nutrients as well. As noted, this soup can be made dairy free using a dairy-free equivalent for butter/margarine and a dairy-free milk, like almond milk or coconut milk in place of the evaporated milk. I especially love this recipe made with coconut milk (there is no coconut flavor). I've also added additional ingredients like mushrooms (when the onions are added) and diced chicken (when the last potatoes are added) for an extra hearty and tasty version of this soup. Adapted from Kris Roth.Gluten-Free Baked Potato Soup
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
Nance says
Oh, I love potato soup, and I love adding some corn in to make it a nice potato-corn chowder if I have some on hand. I have to say I feel a little smug knowing that you’re getting snow for a change down there. We finally have gotten rid of ours for a while, it seems, though we’ve got very blustery winds and low, low temperatures.
Shirley says
Hi, Nance–I like a potato-corn chowder myself. But, my husband and son don’t like it in their potato soup. So, if I’m home alone ;-), I make it with corn occasionally. And, if I’m eating out and can find a GF potato-corn chowder, I go for it, but that happens rarely. Corn would certainly be tasty and look pretty in this recipe.
Glad you guys finally got a break from the snow, but the rest sounds tiresome. I think winter often wears out its welcome towards the end and I don’t even live in what’s considered a cold area. It’s still snowing here. Beautiful, cold, and very quiet. Might be a day at home tomorrow …
Shirley
noble pig says
I made soup today too…it was the rain, I couldn’t help myself!
Nice soup. Being a potato ho, I’m all about it!
Shirley says
noble pig–Cathy, obviously, I completely understand about the weather-related soup attack! Oh, yeah, I knew being a potato ho, you’d like this recipe!
Thanks,
Shirley
Nance says
noble pig–(sorry to chat in comments, shirley)someone once asked me if there were one food i could be stuck on a desert island with, what would i choose. i immediately chose potato. i could eat potatoes for every meal and forego meat. aren’t they wonderful, and so versatile? we had french fries last night with italian roast beef sandwiches, and i just ate the fries. heaven.
Shirley says
Hey, Nance–Just wanted to state that chatting in comments this way is perfectly acceptable with me. In fact, I encourage it! And, I hope it is with you, too, because I’ve done it on your blog from time to time. It’s hard not to respond to comments that strike a chord, plus I think it’s nice to get feedback from others as a comment sometimes. Now, if you start talking about watching an episode of Medium or just stopping by to tell everybody to stop by your blog, that’s another matter … but I know you’d never do that!! Blog etiquette—it’s a fine (but common sense and common courtesy) line, isn’t it? 😉
Shirley
Ali (Whole Life Nutrition) says
Shirley – What a lovely flower photo! My mom always made potato soup growing up. She made it without dairy – I think she used chicken stock. By pureeing half of the soup after it is cooked you get a nice creamy texture without the milk. I made some yeasted teff bread the other day with your honey and it turned out so yummy!!! Thanks! I am going to post it to my blog in a few days, but first, tonight, the teff pancakes need to go up!!
I am inspired to make a big pot of potato soup tomorrow now. Thanks!!
-Ali 🙂
Shirley says
Hi, Ali! First, all credit goes to dawnzy58 at Flickr for the photo! (I couldn’t get a photo that did the simple, but elegant snowdrop justice because of the aforementioned firewood setting.) Thanks for letting me know that the honey worked so well in your teff bread. Our bees do good work, don’t they?! 🙂 I look forward to that recipe on your blog, as well as the pancake recipe. (The honey can go well on those, too. We actually like it much better than maple syrup.) Finally, thanks very much for sharing how your mom made potato soup. I am really glad you did, because I had just saved a recipe for making mashed potatoes using chicken broth, but I hadn’t transferred the concept to potato soup yet. I will definitely be trying it! Enjoy your potato soup. We’ll be having another kind of soup this evening … one I’ll blog on soon. 🙂
Shirley
Polly says
I printed the soup recipe and made it immediately! It was gone faster than it took to make it. It was a perfect dinner to a follow a day of sledding and shoveling. YUM!
Shirley says
Hey, Polly! I’m so pleased that you had the ingredients on hand to quickly make this soup. I think it has such an outstanding flavor for such a simple soup. I also love the soup’s consistency and that you don’t have to keep cooking and stirring trying to get just the right thickness. BTW, I hope you got in more sledding than shoveling! It will all be gone by this weekend when the temps hit 68 on Saturday—crazy! 😉
Thanks so much for the terrific feedback!
Shirley
H.Peter says
Since I have made teh decision to start selling soups at GF Patisserie next winter, i have started looking for tasty recipes. This one is a keeper.
The snow drops remind me of my youth in Austria, we called those flowers Schneegloeckchen, Litte Snow bells.
Allison says
Shirley-
Your soup looks delicious! I’ll have to give it a try since it’s been so cold lately, and I’ve been really craving soup. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
-Allison
Shirley says
Hi Allison–Thanks very much! 🙂 Welcome to GFE! I love soup any time, but I think it’s especially comforting in cold weather.
Shirley
Shirley says
H.Peter–I think adding soup to your family’s GF Patisserie menu will be a huge success next winter. 🙂
Actually when I was looking for a great photo I could use, lots of photos from all parts of Europe came up in my search. Little Snow Bells is a sweet name … thank you for sharing that info! Now I just need to add a feature where I can click on your German word and have someone say it for me (as they do for some online dictionaries). Maybe I’ll do some searching later to see if I can find that. My one year of college German probably is not giving me the most accurate pronunciation. 😉
Shirley
Kelly says
Such a great story about the flowers! And I LOVE potato soup! And so does my budget! LOL
Matt says
Oh, how I miss Virginia in terms of its climate this time of year.
This is when I remember that I need a greenhouse to survive in Vermont. There are some people growing lemons in passive solar greenhouses up here.
Cheers,
Matt
Shirley says
Kelly—Thanks! Mother Nature provides such wonderful surprises I think. Potato soup is such a nice comfort food, isn’t it? And, you’d never know when you are eating this luscious soup, just how economical it is … such a nice bonus.
Shirley says
Matt—I hear you. I love visiting VT, but in the warmer months. Heck, we got caught on our motorcycle in all-day rain after visiting our VT friends one August and it never got above 50 that day. In August! Brutal. We were never so happy to reach our B&B that night!
Cool re: the folks growing lemons in passive solar greenhouses. You have to get inventive in such climates! And, how neat to have lemon trees and lemons to look at when there’s a blizzard outside! Thanks for sharing that. I told my husband the other day that I never want to live further north than VA. 🙂
Shirley
H.Peter says
shneaglochen?
nah, that sounds too weird.
shneagluckchen?
Dimiss.
schneegloeckchen
That’s it….
Shirley says
H.Peter—Well, you ended up back where you started, didn’t you? I think I know how to say it, but when I make it to the countries where German is spoken, it seems highly unlikely that I’ll be talking about snowdrops with the locals. 😉
BTW, you might want to start testing out soups this winter for launching them at the GF Patisserie next winter. Start with this one. 🙂
Happy Friday!
Shirley
glutenfreeforgood says
Shirley,
You’re right-on about leaving the potato skins on. They do contain lots of nutrients and also a good share of fiber. Plus, if you keep the skins on while cooking, the nutrients in the potato stay intact better. It’s like the skins keep the good stuff inside.
🙂
I love making blended soups. In fact, I made one yesterday using one small Yukon gold potato and one sweet potato I had on hand (plus a bunch of other random veggies). Soup is such a good way to clean out the fridge.
As for substituting something for the milk, I’ve blended up my own cashew milk and used it to make vegan tomato soup before. It’s a bit of a pain, but works well as an alternative.
Your soup looks wonderful, Shirley. As does the photo of the snowdrop flower. Beautiful!
Melissa
Shirley says
Hi Melissa–Thanks so much for the great info on the added fiber and how the potato skins provide more nutrients by themselves and by holding the nutrients in the potato. I don’t think I’d ever heard the latter, although, of course, it makes perfect sense. Your nutritional comments are greatly appreciated! 🙂
Oooh, that soup you made yesterday sounds divine. I love both Yukon gold and sweet potatoes, but hubby doesn’t like sweet potatoes (except in pie—seriously). If they didn’t have such a bright orange color, I sure could sneak them in more recipes! LOL But, I know the color is yet another indication of how good they are for you.
Several readers make the nut milks and use them for all kinds of recipes. I think it’s just getting in the routine of making them. I definitely want to try that sometime … but again I’ll have to do it discreetly. 😉
Thanks for the kudos! Dawnzy58 at Flickr took the wonderful photo, but I did select it out of so many other great photos, so I do have good taste!
Shirley
Melanie says
Hi Shirley,
Your soup looks wonderful!
I think you may have tried to send me your address, and somehow the email got lost, and I haven’t been able to retrieve it!
Please send it again to [email protected] and I will send a book on to you!
Thanks!
Melanie
Shirley says
Hi Melanie–Thanks very much! Do give this recipe a try when you are pushed for time and want something comforting, easy, and frugal. I’ll send you an email. I am really hoping we can do a nice barter. 😉
Have a great weekend!
Shirley
Shirley says
Just wanted to add a note that A and Z of Gluten Free From A to Z made this recipe and published their review on their site. You can read it here as well as my comments. Thanks A and Z!
Shirley
Terry says
Oh my gosh… that looks so good, especially since it is so cold outside.
Thank you so much for stopping by and linking your blog to the Gluten Free Linky.
Heidi @adventuresofaglutenfreemom.com says
Aw, crap Shirley! I’ve made it a week and a half without cheese and now I can think of nothing else I want more than this soup, LOL!! I may have to give it one last hurrah (the devil made me do it??). 😀
This was always a favorite soup of mine and definitely loaded with bacon, cheddar cheese and scallions…yum!
xo,
Heidi
Shirley says
Heidi–You don’t have to make this soup with cheese. The cheese is optional and I rarely used cheese; it just wasn’t needed. Granted I made this with evaporated milk and butter previously, but when I recreated it to make clam chowder tonight, I used coconut milk and almond milk. The potatoes mixed with the milk and broth make for wonderful creaminess. 🙂 And, add in the bacon and scallions for sure. 😉
xo,
Shirley
Marla says
This potato soup sounds awesome!
It is vegetarian week at Get Grillin’ we would love if you submitted up to any 3 recipes (they don’t have to be grilled) to our link up. This one would be perfect!
This week we have a ManPans giveaway. http://su.pr/3GCtXU
Shirley says
Hey Marla–Way belated, but thanks for the props on the potato soup. Sorry I didn’t get to participate in your Get Grillin’ event, especially with such a wonderful giveaway. It looks like a great event for this time of year. 🙂
Happy summer!
Shirley
Brandae says
Shirley, I’ve had this recipe bookmarked to make for ages and finally got to it today (crazy that I waited for an 85 degree day in March), but I had to comment and let you know how absolutely delicious it is! Of course I made a few changes because of my pantry stock (red potatoes, evoo/coconut oil, sweet rice flour, almond milk), but I followed your template otherwise. I did add chicken to make it a heartier meal for all of my boys, and they all gobbled it up! I served it with Pamela’s Amazing GF Bread warm from the oven (with the coconut EB spread on mine). SOOOOOOOOO good. It will definitely be a repeat meal around here!
Thank you!
Brandae
Shirley says
Hi Brandae–Thanks so much, dear! I appreciate you leaving a comment here and on my Facebook page. 🙂 I really love that you used what you had on hand and added some chicken as well. As I replied to you on FB, it was this soup that was my base for the New England Clam Chowder recipe, so it’s very adaptable indeed. I love making it for us and for sharing it when I need a meal for someone who’s recovering from illness, has a new baby, etc. It’s always well received and just so easy to put together. Ever since I read you comment on the fresh bread with the coconut spread, I’ve been craving that combo for sure. 😉
Hugs to you and all your boys!
Shirley
me52 says
Hi Shirley, I just found your blog while following some links from Ricki Heller’s Diet Dessert N Dogs. A few years back my naturopath tested me as wheat-spelt-kamut sensitive (and dairy), but staying away from gluten definitely seems to help with the bloating and stomach problems. Anyway, this soup reminds me of the potato-bacon-horseradish soup at one of the local cafes. No idea whether the original is GF, but my husband sure likes my version, especially during the winter.
Thanks for the GFE tips and recipes, so easily adapted to (mostly vegan) and Eat to Live cooking. Great blog – it’s joined Ricki’s on my Favorites bar!
Shirley says
me52–I’m embarrassed to just now be responding to your comment from very, very long ago. 🙁 Not sure what happened there, but I hope you’re continuing to do well living gluten free. Happy that you have a great potato soup recipe as well! 🙂
Thanks so much for all the kind words and please accept my apologies again!
Shirley
Barbara Bianchi says
Hi, This soup looks so delicious and will definitely help get us through winter in the Northeast. By the way, I saw your link on Gluten Free Wednesdays and I’m pinning this for later. Thanks.
Shirley says
Hi Barbara–Welcome to gfe! Sorry I’m just now responding. Sometimes comments get past me. 🙁 I agree on good potato soup helping one get through the winter. I was thinking about this recipe today, but we’re out of potatoes (rare occurrence) and a day of freezing rain meant I wasn’t going to run out to get them. Thanks so much for pinning this recipe and stopping by to leave a comment!
Shirley
Lori Pesola says
Hello – I plan to make this for a gathering of up to 20 people. Can you tell me how many the recipe serves so I know how big a batch to make?
Thank you!
Shirley Braden says
Hi Lori–Welcome to gfe! 🙂 This recipe feeds four hungry folks. If you’re serving it with other dishes, you might be able to get slightly more servings out of it. I’ve added the serving info to the recipe for future reference. Thanks so much for the question and I hope everyone at your gathering really enjoys it!
Happy holidays!
Shirley
Lori says
Thank you!
Shirley Braden says
You’re welcome, Lori! 🙂