Crock-Pot Potato Soup

One of the few perks about my husband being out of town is I can eat all the girly food I want.  Things like salads, soups, and quiche.  I had seen this recipe floating around Pinterest and decided to give it a try while he was gone.  I tweaked it a bit based on what I had on hand and it turned out awesome!  It made a ton so I separated it in to individual servings to freeze and reheat the next time I get the chance to enjoy girl food.

Source: Allrecipes.com

Crock-Pot Potato Soup

1 20 oz. bag refrigerated shredded hash brown potatoes (I used Simply Potatoes brand)

1 onion, chopped and sauteed in butter (I had one already pre-sauteed in the freezer)

2 cups chicken broth

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 cup half and half

1/4 tsp pepper

couple dashes of salt

1 8 oz. block cream cheese, softened

Grated cheddar cheese

Sliced green onions

Real bacon pieces

Place hash browns and onion in crock-pot.  In a separate bowl mix together chicken broth, soup, and half and half until well combined, then add to the crock-pot.  Add pepper and salt.  Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high 2-3 hours.  About 1 hour before serving add softened cream cheese to crock-pot, stirring to break up, and continue cooking, covered.  After the cooking time was over, mine was still a little lumpy so I decided I to use the immersion blender to make it creamier.  However, if you like chunky soup it would be fine to serve without blending.  Top each serving with a generous portion of cheese, onions, and bacon to your liking.  This is one of those recipes that gets better with time, so it is even better heated up the next day.  I am already planning our menu for his next trip!