This Creamy Potato and Onion Soup with Pancetta has a thick, velvety broth with plenty of tender potato pieces in every bowl. The onion, carrot, and celery cook directly in the rendered pancetta fat, building a savory base before the broth and potatoes are added. Half of the soup is blended for creaminess, while crispy pancetta, Parmesan, and crushed red pepper give it a rich Italian-American twist.
Looking for more hearty soups? Try our Barley Lentil Soup or Rustic Italian Tortellini Soup with Sausage!
A Quick Look at the Recipe
- ✅Recipe Name: Creamy Potato and Onion Soup with Pancetta
- ⏲️Ready in: 1 hour
- 👪Makes: 6 servings
- 📋Main ingredients: Yukon Gold potatoes, onions, pancetta.
- ⭐Why You'll Love This Recipe: This potato and onion soup is a delicious combination of creamy and chunky, built with savory and smoky flavor!
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Why This Potato Soup
The soup gets its creamy texture from two different sources. Blending half of the cooked potatoes naturally thickens the broth, while the remaining potatoes give the soup a hearty, chunky texture. Half-and-half and Parmesan are added at the end for richness without covering up the flavor of the vegetables.
Instead of relying on bacon or a large amount of cheese, this recipe starts by slowly rendering pancetta. The onion, carrot, and celery cook in that rendered fat before the seasonings are added in two stages. Layering in the seasonings helps create a deeper flavor through the whole soup, similar to how we season other soups like Curry Chicken and Rice Soup or EASY Chicken Farro Soup!
Yukon Gold potatoes work especially well because they become tender and creamy but still hold their shape when part of the soup is left unblended.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Potatoes. Yukon Gold potatoes are the perfect combination of starchy and waxy for this recipe. Russet potatoes will give you a more earthy flavor. Gold potatoes will take on the flavor and give you a really smooth and creamy soup. I also use gold potatoes when I roast them, like in Crispy Garlic Parmesan Potatoes.
- Onions. Onions should be twice as much as the carrots and celery in the sofrito. Make sure to let the onion sauté until completely translucent before adding the garlic to get the most flavor out of it.
- Pancetta. This gives the soup a savory base and adds a ton of texture to the final product without taking over the flavor of the soup. If you substitute bacon, you'll notice that the whole soup just tastes like smoky bacon.
- Seasoning. The smoky paprika is the heavy hitter here. It brings the soup a ton of smokiness while the thyme, salt, and pepper help round it out. The crushed red pepper gives the soup a little bit of a kick, which is perfect for potato soup, which can traditionally be kind of bland.
- Half-and-half. We use half and half because it gives the soup a creaminess without taking away from the flavor, but you can substitute heavy cream or milk.
- Parmesan. The Parmesan gives this creamy potato and onion soup a little nutty and pungent flavor while also helping make it more creamy. You can substitute a finely shredded cheddar or gruyere.
*Please see the recipe card below for more information on the ingredients.
How to Make Creamy Potato and Onion Soup with Pancetta
This is the best homemade potato soup you'll ever make. It is half-blended to give it a creamy texture without having to add flour or a cornstarch slurry. This is the most natural way to make a creamy soup!
Step 1: Peel and chop the potatoes into ¾ inch pieces and set aside. Combine smoky paprika, thyme, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper in a small separate bowl.
Step 2: In a large pot or Dutch oven, add pancetta and then bring to medium heat. Fry the pancetta until it is golden brown and the fat is rendered. Stir it often to cook it evenly. Use a slotted spoon to set the pancetta aside, leaving the rendered fat behind.
Add a tablespoon of olive oil to the pot, then stir the carrots, celery, and onion. Sauté for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Step 3: Add half of your seasoning mix to the vegetables as they cook. This will help the flavor develop throughout the cooking process. Add the minced garlic and sauté for another 2-3 minutes.
Step 4: Add in the potatoes and the rest of the seasoning. Combine the mixture well, coating the potatoes with the seasoning.
Step 5: Pour in the chicken broth. Bring the chicken broth to a boil and add the bay leaves. Lower the heat slightly to maintain a continuous simmer. Let the potatoes simmer for 15 minutes or until you can easily pierce them with a fork.
Step 6: Lower the heat to medium-low and remove the bay leaves. Spoon half of the soup into a blender and blend until it is completely pureed (Make sure to vent often to release pressure). We use this trick in our Tuscan Fennel and White Bean Soup!
Step 7: Return the blended soup to the pot and stir. Add the half and half and stir well. Bring to a low simmer for 5 minutes.
Step 8: Remove from the heat and stir in the parmesan and pancetta.
Serve with the crispy pancetta, chives, and sour cream for the best final dish. I also add a sprinkle of paprika as a garnish!
If you love a delicious, fresh vegetable soup like this one, you might also like Creamy Roasted Garlic and Tomato Soup or Homemade Roasted Red Pepper Soup.
This soup is a great side dish to serve with a Classic Pork Chop Milanese or Italian Chicken Cutlets!
Pro-Tips
- Always fry pancetta starting in a cold pan. Otherwise, you'll burn the meat before you render the fat.
- Test the potatoes with a fork after boiling for 15 minutes to see if you can easily pierce through. If not, continue boiling for a few more minutes. Don't blend the potatoes prematurely or the soup will have a grainy texture when served.
- When blending hot soup, be careful to vent the blender because the steam can build pressure.
- Once the half and half is added, don't let the soup come to a boil. The milk will curdle.
What to Serve with Creamy Potato Soup
Bread. Definitely serve this potato soup with your own Homemade Italian Parmesan Croutons or Cast Iron Focaccia Bread.
Salad. There's nothing like a soup and salad lunch special. Serve it with a Caesar salad and Traditional Caesar Dressing or an Easy Chipotle BBQ Chicken Salad.
Add some chicken to the mix. Serve it with Creamy Lemon Butter Chicken Breast or Fennel Chicken Thighs in Red Wine.
Recipe FAQs
My favorite way is to blend some of the potatoes into a puree and then add it back to the soup. There is so much starch in the potatoes that it should thicken up the soup on its own. If you don't have a blender, you could thicken it with a cornstarch slurry.
You didn't layer in the seasonings properly. Soup needs layers and layers of seasonings. Start with some sautéed vegetables and season at every step instead of just seasoning the broth.
Lower the heat or remove the soup from the heat immediately and stir the soup really well. Milk curdles when it reaches a certain temperature, so next time, don't add dairy products until the soup isn't at a simmer.
Transfer the soup to an airtight container once cooled to room temperature. Store in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for 3 months. Reheat on the stovetop over medium heat until the soup comes to a simmer.
Yes, just pulse the whole soup a few times to puree some of the potatoes. We do this in our White Bean Lentil Soup to help release some of the starchiness in the lentils to make the soup a bit creamier.
More Potato Recipes
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Creamy Potato and Onion Soup
Equipment
- 1 large pot
- 1 blender
Ingredients
- 2.5 lbs Yukon gold potatoes
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 4 oz pancetta, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 carrots, chopped ¾ cup
- 2 celery stalks, chopped ¾ cup
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped 1.5 cups
- 1 tablespoon smoky paprika
- ½ tablespoon dried thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- ¾ cup half and half
- 1 cup parmesan, grated
- ¼ cup chives, chopped
- ¼ cup sour cream
Instructions
- Combine paprika, thyme, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper. Divide in half.
- Peel and chop the potatoes into ¾ inch pieces and set aside.
- In a large pot or dutch oven, add pancetta and bring to medium heat. Fry the pancetta until it is golden brown and the fat is rendered. Stir it often to cook it evenly. Use a slotted spoon to set the pancetta aside.
- Add the carrots, celery, and onion to the pot. Saute for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add half of the seasoning mix to the vegetables as they're cooking. Add the minced garlic and saute for another 2-3 minutes.
- Add in the potatoes and the rest of the seasoning. Combine the mixture well and then pour in the chicken broth. Bring the chicken broth to a boil and add the bay leaves. Lower the heat slightly to maintain a continuous simmer. Let the potatoes simmer for 15 minutes or until you can easily pierce them with a fork.
- Lower the heat to medium-low and remove the bay leaves. Spoon half of the soup into a blender and blend until it is completely pureed (Make sure to vent often to release pressure). Return the blended soup to the pot and stir. Add the half-and-half and the pancetta to the pot. Stir well and bring to a low simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the parmesan.
- Serve soup with a dollop of sour cream and fresh chopped chives.
Video
Notes
- Always fry pancetta starting in a cold pan. Otherwise, you'll burn the meat before you render the fat.
- Test the potatoes with a fork after boiling for 15 minutes to see if you can easily pierce through. If not, continue boiling for a few more minutes. Don't blend the potatoes prematurely or the soup will have a grainy texture when served.
- When blending hot soup, be careful to vent the blender because the steam can build pressure.
- Once the half-and-half is added, don't let the soup come to a boil. The milk will curdle.
Mary Kahler says
I made this delicious creamy potato soup. It’s the best! Thanks so much for your delicious recipes.
Vincent DelGiudice says
This is not the same old bland potato soup you've had before. This is so smoky and delicious! I'll make this all winter! Give it a try!