Soup with Potatoes and Bacon

Two cups of shredded pepper jack or cheddar cheese

As a finishing touch, garnish with chopped bacon, green onions.

Soup Recipe: Creamy Potato Bacon.

Season with salt and pepper and place in a slow cooker along with the broth, potatoes, onions, carrots, celery, parsley, garlic powder, basil, and garlic. Place a cover on top and simmer for 6 to 8 hours on low heat, or 3 to 4 hours on high heat.

Cook the ground beef until it's brown, about 30 minutes before serving. Put the rendered fat into the slow cooker after draining it. After frying and chopping the bacon, add it to the slow cooker. To save time, you may cook the bacon in the oven with the soup and then put it aside.

After removing any extra fat from the pan, add the butter. Combine the flour with the melted butter by whisking the two ingredients together. Then, add the half-and-half while whisking. After another two or three minutes of whisking, you should see a little thickening.

After adding the other soup ingredients to the slow cooker, whisk in the half-and-half. After adding the cheese, mix once more. Just a few minutes under the cover to melt the cheese. Just before serving, give it another vigorous swirl to properly incorporate the cheese.