Growing up in southwest Virginia, I was exposed to the popular foods of the South from an early age. Salty country ham, deviled eggs, and biscuits all played a prominent role in my childhood. But for every well-celebrated Southern staple, I also enjoyed some of what I consider the South’s sleeper hits, among them, a simple, homey potato soup.
My grandma Winnie made a rustic, comforting rendition of potato soup using little more than russet potatoes and water, so when I found out that, according to Google Trends, potato soup is the number one most Googled recipe in the South, I wasn’t surprised.
My colleagues at Simply Recipes, who grew up in the South, agree that potato soup is definitely a Southern thing.
Senior Editor Megan Scott grew up in North Carolina and remembers eating a simple potato soup during the winter. “I confess that I’m not entirely sure what went into it, but it was all potato,” says Meg. “I don’t even think there was any dairy in it. The potatoes would cook in broth until they started falling apart, and the soup was not puréed—there would be potato chunks here and there. Sometimes my grandmother served it with crisped-up fatback, which is salty as heck.”
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If you’re one of the many people Googling potato soup, you’ll be met with over 100 million results, a testament to the many different ways people make this comforting classic.
Senior Editor Laurel Randolph says her Tennessee family’s version, made by her mom and grandmother, included evaporated milk, onions, broth, and potatoes cooked until they fell apart. “We’d top steaming bowls with grated cheddar cheese and scallions,” says Laurel, who, like Meg, recalls pork lending some seasoning to the soup: “Sometimes [we added] bacon if we have some left over from breakfast. Just thinking about it warms me up from top to bottom.”
For Alana Al-Hatlani, Associate Food Editor at Southern Living, Southern-style potato soups excel at what many Southern recipes are known for: “They use fairly humble ingredients (and not too many of them) and turn them into something that is more than the sum of its parts.”
That’s true, she says, of Southern Living’s Baked Potato Soup, which requires just 10 fairly inexpensive staple ingredients. “There’s no fancy equipment needed, like a blender—the potatoes are mashed with a fork—and yet, it’s creamy, comforting, and complete as is, with no frills,” says Alana.
“Potato soups exist all over the world, and certainly all over the U.S., but Southern ones tend to be a very simple version of the soup that emphasizes the potato more than anything.”
Inspired to make your own potato soup? Here are a few of Simply Recipes’ favorite recipes:
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