Vegetarian Crock Pot Potato Soup

Last month, I shared 15 Crock Pot Soups for Fall and Winter and I've been working to try all of them myself. However, my hubby is not a fan of soup as a meal and working them into my menu plan is tough. Last week, though, hubby was out of town for business and I needed a couple crock pot recipes, so I went to the list and decided to try the potato soup. After taking another look at the ingredients, I realized it would not work for my 12 year old vegetarian daughter because it called for chicken broth and cream of chicken soup. So, I scoured Pinterest and looked at several more potato soup recipes, but I just couldn't find quite the right one. So, I decided to create it myself!

I took components from a couple different recipes, made a few vegetarian substitutions and Voila!! It was delicious, if I do say so myself. In fact, my middle daughter proclaimed, "This tastes just like the potato soup at the restaurants, Mommy!" and then went back for seconds. It was so good, I decided I need to share it with all of you for this month's Sunday Supper. It would be the perfect meal on a cold winter evening! (Even if you aren't a vegetarian.)

Vegetarian Crock Pot Potato Soup

~1 bag (32 oz) Southern Style Hash Browns 

(They are cubed instead of shredded. I used Ore Ida)

~1 can condensed cheddar cheese soup

~1 box (32 oz.) Vegetable Broth

(Can use chicken broth if it doesn't have to be vegetarian)

~1 small onion, chopped

~salt and pepper

~1 block (8 oz) cream cheese 

(you really need to use the whole fat kind so it will melt properly.)

~1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Toss the potatoes, soup, broth, onion, salt, and pepper into the crock pot and cook on low for 4-6 hours. About 20 minutes before serving, add in the cream cheese and shredded cheese so they can melt. Serve topped with additional shredded cheese, green onions, and bacon bits as desired.