Potato soup does often have carrots and celery although some potato soup recipes omit the carrots and or celery.
You can either add the carrots or celery to your potato soup if you'd like or leave them out.
Traditional potato soup recipes do include carrots and celery as well as onions to form a flavor base for a hearty and creamy soup, although for simpler versions of potato soup, they focus mainly on the potatoes.
The ingredients that are typically in potato soup are potatoes like russet potatoes, a liquid base of broth, milk or cream, aromatics like garlic and onion, and thickeners like flour as well as flavorings like cheese, bacon and herbs and toppings such as sour cream or chives for the loaded version of potato soup.
The core and key ingredients in potato soup create a creamy and hearty comfort food with some variations depending on desired richness or style which can be creamy potato soup or chunky potato soup.
The core and key ingredients in potato soup are potatoes which are starchy like Russet potatoes or Yukon Gold potatoes which are often diced or cubed.
Liquid like chicken or vegetable broths, along with milk and or heavy cream for the creaminess in the potato soup.
Aromatic ingredients like garlic, celery and onions, which are sauteed for flavor.
A thickener of all purpose flour or cornstarch that is cooked with butter to make a roux that is stirred into the potato soup.
Seasonings like salt, black pepper and sometimes even parsley or thyme.
For loaded potato soup, other ingredients and toppings include.
Bacon, which is cooked and crumbled for flavor and topping of the loaded potato soup.
Cheese, which is most often shredded cheddar cheese is added to the potato soup.
Sour cream is added to the potato soup for tang and creaminess as a topping.
Green onions and chives that are chopped up and added to the potato soup as garnish.
The basic process of making potato soup is to cook bacon if using in the potato soup, and saute any vegetables in the rendered fat or butter.
Then stir in flour and gradually whisk in broth and milk and cream.
Add the potatoes and simmer the potatoes until they are tender.
Next mash some potatoes for thickness or leave chunky and stir in cheese and serve the potato soup hot with any desired toppings.