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That’s right, I’m back! I’m thinking maybe at least one of you noticed that I took a little hiatus from my food blog at the tail end of 2021. Starting in October our lives got a little crazy around here. First up, we took a road trip around about half of the country. We’re in Connecticut and my high school BFF got married in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. With all the craziness going on in the world, we decided to drive there. Is that nuts? Maybe. But you know what? We had the best trip ever. Highlights included Gulf Shores in Alabama (who knew FlorAbama was so beautiful? I sure didn’t), getting delectable carbs thrown directly at my face at Lambert’s Cafe, eating beignets and drinking the best hot chocolate of my life at Cafe du Monde in New Orleans, eating BBQ on Beale Street in Memphis, enjoying deep dish pizza not once but TWICE in Chicago (Giordano’s was the clear winner in case you were wondering), stopping by the Home Alone house in the most beautiful neighborhood in America, eating cheese curds and drinking delicious local beer in Wisconsin (a place I’ve always wanted to go for some weird reason and absolutely loved visiting), and, last but not least, touring the house from A Christmas Story and seeing where Mike grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. And, of course, watching my beautiful high school BFF marry the most amazing man possible for her at the best wedding I’ve ever been to hands down. So, yeah. All in all it was an amazing trip. We put 4,200 miles on the rental car in 11 days. We had exactly one day at home to unpack, unwind, and get ready for the day after that, when…

We closed on our condo! That’s right. After 10 excruciating months, our quest to purchase our first home finally came to a close. So after we closed at the end of October, we did some upgrades/light renovating. We painted the living room and dining room and also fixed all of the trim downstairs and in the bedrooms upstairs as well. We moved in slowly because I didn’t want to stress out about it. We gave ourselves five weeks to move out of our apartment and into our home and I’m glad we did because when it came down to it, we needed the time. You don’t realize how much you own until you have to move it all. And we moved it ALL in Mike’s hatchback (mostly) and my car. Looking back on it I’m amazed that we did it all and also that we didn’t kill ourselves/each other in the process.

So that’s what I’ve been up to these past few months! I hope you’ll excuse my absence but I am back and ready to hit 2022 running with all of the simple and delicious recipes you have come to love and expect from this food blog. And today we’re starting things off with this delicious dairy free soup that was inspired by a pizza at a somewhat famous local restaurant in Connecticut, Willington Pizza. I’m a big fan of that pie, and I’m an even bigger fan of turning my favorite foods into something I can slurp, and so today I present to you: Red Potato Pizza Soup! It’s got bacon. It’s got potatoes. Need I say more? Okay okay I will. But only because you asked so nicely. It’s deliciously creamy while also still being dairy free, for those of you who want or need it. It packs a little heat. And it’s totally worth trying! I fed it to Mike and he had no idea I put dairy free sour cream in here. I love it when I fool him with my kitchen trickery. It happens often.

What kind of recipes are you looking for MOST in 2022? Drop a comment below. I’d love to create something in the kitchen that you love and you love feeding your family!

thehungryhungryhiker

Red Potato Pizza Soup

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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 8 slices bacon cut into lardons, I use ButcherBox for sugar free
  • 1 white onion, medium diced small
  • 4 cloves garlic crushed
  • 2 quarts chicken broth or stock
  • ½ tbsp dried oregano
  • ½ tbsp dried basil
  • 1 tsp dried parsley
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • ½ tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 lb red potatoes sliced in half along the length, then cut into half-moons about ¼ inch thick
  • 10 – 12 ounces frozen broccoli florets, small
  • 8 ounces dairy free sour cream I use Kite Hill
  • sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
  • nutritional yeast for serving, optional
  • fresh chives chopped, for serving

Method
 

  1. Add the bacon to a large soup pot over medium heat. Cook until browned and crispy, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Remove the bacon from the pot and place in a paper towel lined bowl. Set aside. Reserve 3 tbsp of bacon fat and discard the rest.
  2. Add the 3 tbsp of bacon fat back to the soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and stir to coat. Cook for 5 minutes until fragrant and starting to soften. Add the crushed garlic, stir, and cook 1-2 minutes more until fragrant.
  3. Add the chicken broth to the pot and increase the heat to high. Add all of the spices to the pot and stir. When the pot begins to boil, add the potatoes and the frozen broccoli and reduce the heat to medium/medium low. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes and broccoli are just fork tender.
  4. Remove the pot from heat. Stir in the sour cream and half of the bacon. Taste the soup and correct for salt and pepper if needed. Ladle the soup into bowls. Top with nutritional yeast if desired, more bacon bits, and fresh chives. Serve immediately and enjoy!