German Potato Soup (Kartoffelsuppe)

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This German potato soup recipe is loaded with healthy veggies, savory bacon, and is absolutely JAM-PACKED with FLAVOR! And that flavor is ever better the next day so be sure to double the recipe so you can enjoy those leftovers. As a young German tween in the Stuttgart area, this is the first dish I ever made to serve for company (my Oma and Opa). It was a smash hit then and it has remained a family favorite decades later! It’s a wonderfully nutritious comfort soup with that very traditional German flavor.

My Favorite German Potato Soup

One of my all-time favorite brothy soups is a classic German potato soup.  I grew up in Stuttgart, Germany cooking with my Bavarian Mutti.  She would give me age-appropriate tasks from the time I was three or four years old and as I got older I started exploring recipes on my own and preparing meals without supervision.  I remember two of the very first dishes I made by myself was a Winter vegetable cobbler and this brothy German potato soup.

I can still remember the wonderful smell that filled our family kitchen from the bacon, caramelized onions and leek as the soup simmered, announcing the promise of a delicious meal ahead.  I was excited to serve this soup to my family and was thrilled when they all said how much they loved it. My Mutti suggested I make this soup again when my Oma and Opa came over for a visit, which I did. My soup received glowing reviews from them which further bolstered my confidence as a young budding cook. This German potato soup has remained part of my cooking repertoire ever since.

Key Ingredients in German Potato Soup

This soup features a few key ingredients that combine to give this soup that characteristic German flavor:

• Celeriac (aka, celery root) is an essential component of many German soups, including this one, and tastes very different than celery stalk.  It’s part of the standard medley of soup vegetables known as “Suppengrün” (translated as “soup greens”) that consists of carrots, celeriac, leek and parsley, the ingredients that, along with bacon, really give soups that “German” flavor.
• Leek is another must for that characteristic German flavor.

You’ll find Suppengrün called for in many German soup recipes and to omit any of them does the flavor of the soup a major injustice.  If you haven’t cooked much with leek or celeriac, once you taste them in this soup you’ll understand – they’re delicious!

• Bacon also plays a major role here.  Enjoying a bowl of this classic German potato soup without bacon is almost unthinkable!  (We Germans love our bacon, called Räucherspeck, almost as much as we love our potatoes.)  In combination with the vegetables it is the perfect marriage of flavors.
• Potatoes: you’ll want to choose a firm, waxy variety (like Yukon Gold) instead of a starchy variety (like Russets) because the former will hold its shape while retaining a nice buttery texture and flavor instead of completely disentigrating.
• Quality chicken broth: of course Homemade Chicken Broth is always best for flavor and nutrition, but if you don’t have the time to make it, use the best store-bought chicken broth you can find.

Regional Variations

There are many regional versions of potato soup in Germany, each region adding their own unique touch.  But the two general types are either brothy or creamy, and either type can be found throughout every region of Germany.  This version is a classic brothy potato soup (Bunte Kartoffelsuppe, or “colorful potato soup”) that’s packed with healthy, colorful, and flavorful veggies, very much like I made it that first time as a young tween in Germany, and I’m confident you’re going to LOVE it!

German Potato Soup Recipe

Let’s get started!

Fry the bacon, then add the onions and cook until golden, 6-8 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for another minute.  Add the vegetables.

Add the chicken broth and the herbs.

Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer 30-40 minutes.

Add the parsley and simmer for another minute.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve and enjoy!

This is a terrific make-ahead soup because the flavor is even better the next day!

For more delicious German soups and stews be sure to try my:

• Sauerkraut Soup
• Flädlesuppe
• Maultaschen Soup
• Pichelsteiner
• German Goulash
• German Pea Soup

Originally published on The Daring Gourmet October 12, 2017