Favorite Slow Cooker Potato Soup

Brrrr – it’s cold outside in Dallas, so you know what that means for me??? Time to post a soup recipe!

I wish I knew where this recipe came from, to give credit where credit is due. But I don’t – I’ll just say my family requests this every time the weather cools down a bit, and this recipe has always been a hit in my coaching groups.

It’s gluten free, dairy free, and SUPER filling. You can sub the white potatoes for sweet potatoes – or even Japanese sweet potatoes!

When I worked away from home full time, I prepped all ingredients the night before, stored them in the fridge, then dumped them in the crock pot the next morning, set on the lowest setting.

These days I throw it all together and cook on high for 4 hours.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound Italian sausage (or breakfast sausage or grass fed beef)
• 10 slices bacon
• 3 large potatoes, peeled and chopped into cubes
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 32 ounce carton broth (beef has the most flavor)
• 1 teaspoon salt or more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 2 cups chopped kale
• 1 can unsweetened coconut milk, refrigerated to separate cream

Directions:

1. Cook sausage in pan.
2. Cook bacon in pan or bake on 375 for about 35 minutes until desired crispness.
3. While those cook, chop potatoes and onions.
4. Place everything in slow cooker except bacon, kale and coconut milk.
5. About 30 minutes to 1 hour before serving, add kale.
6. A few minutes before serving, add just the separated coconut cream to the slow cooker.
7. Chop bacon in small pieces and serve on top of soup. **Some people throw the bacon in at the beginning with everything else, but I think it has more flavor as a garnish.

**Optional – I’m a big fan of adding some jarred jalapenos to my bowl. My mouth waters just thinking of it!