How to Make Marie Callender’s Potato Cheese Soup Recipe At Home

Marie Callender’s refers to an American restaurant chain that is headquartered in Mission Viejo, California. The name of the restaurant references the company’s origins – Marie and her Cal Warren Callender, who began selling homemade pies in Long Beach, California, in the 1930s. Marie and Cal sold their car to raise money for their first wholesale bakery and joined forces with their son Don in 1964.

Don ultimately opened a retail outlet in nearby Orange and chose to honor his mother by naming the restaurant after her. Within a few years, Don added a dozen more locations and expanded outside the Golden State (to Houston and Las Vegas) by the end of the 1960s. Marie Callender’s restaurants, with their signature salad bar and more than two dozen pie varieties, served primarily American fare, although there were signature items added from many other cuisines.

Over the next decade, the company expanded to more than 80 locations. The Marie Callender’s restaurant chain was sold to Ramada Inn in the mid-1980s and then to the Wilshire Restaurant Group a few years later. At the beginning of 2023, twenty-five restaurant/retail locations were operating in California, Nevada, and Utah.

In addition, the company, which is now owned by the Elite Restaurant Group, also licenses its name for frozen and shelf-stable entrée and other food items. These licenses were sold for $140 million in 1994 to corporate giant ConAgra Foods.

Marie Callender’s is known for its classic take on comfort food. Among the Marie Callender’s brand’s top-selling and most beloved foods is the company’s delicious Potato Cheese Soup. This creamy potato goodness is sure to become a favorite comfort food in your house!

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The Steps to Make Marie Callender’s Potato Cheese Soup Recipe At Home

This potato cheese soup is easy, delicious, and creamy. Plus, it only needs one pot and a blender/food processor from start to finish. For a warm and comforting meal, Marie Callender’s potato soup recipe can be on the table in just over a half-hour –

Preparation Time – 15 minutes.
Cooking Time – 30 – 35 minutes.
Total Prep & Cook Time – 45 – 50 minutes
Serves – 6 – 8

Ingredients For Marie Callender’s Potato Cheese Soup Recipe

Considering the depth of flavor and its delectable consistency, there are only a few ingredients to make this tasty potato cheese soup.

Produce

4 Cups of Chopped Celery.
2 Cups of Diced/Chopped Onions.
4 Tablespoons of Fresh Parsley – Chopped roughly.

8 Cups of Diced Potatoes – Cut the potatoes into bite-sized pieces that are no larger than ¾″. It is important to keep the potato chunks all the same size so they cook at the same time. In case you have not had the experience, there is nothing worse than biting into raw potato chunks in a warm soup!Pro-tip – Any type of potato will create a delicious potato cheese soup, including Russet potatoes. However, it is noted that waxy potato varieties tend to create the best soup. In addition, varieties like Yukon Gold potatoes, fingerling potatoes, and red potatoes also have fair amounts of starch, so they tend to hold up well when used in soups.

Condiments

6 Tablespoons of Butter – if you prefer, you can use 6 Tablespoons of Margarine instead.

Dairy

1 Cup of Sharp Cheddar Cheese – Try extra sharp cheddar cheese or a blend of the two for a deeper flavor.
4 Cups of Half-and-half – or substitute cream for the ultimate in creaminess.

Baking & Spices

2 Teaspoons of Salt.

Optional Toppings for Marie Callender’s Potato Cheese Soup

While the sky and your imagination are the limit, some of the more popular toppings for this potato cheese soup include –

Sour Cream.
Green Onion Slices.
Bacon or Fried Ham Bits.
Ancho Chili Powder can also be added when blending or pureeing the soup.

How to Make Potato Cheese Soup Thicker

Although it is unlikely to happen with this potato cheese soup recipe, if you need to make the soup base thicker, simply add 1 cup of water to 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. Stir these ingredients until the cornstarch is fully dissolved in the water.

Add small amounts of this mixture to the soup to thicken the potato cheese soup and stir constantly. Bring the potato and cheese soup to a simmer and cook until desired consistency.

Cooking Directions For the Marie Callender’s Potato Cheese Soup Recipe At Home

Once you have prepared the ingredients for cooking:

Place the diced potatoes, onions, celery, and salt in the water in a large pot.
Simmer these vegetables until they begin to become tender. This takes about 15 minutes of simmering.
Puree the simmered soup until its consistency starts to become chunky. This can be done in a blender or food processor that has been fitted with a metal blade.
Return the pureed soup to the soup pot.
Then add the half-and-half, butter and sharp cheddar cheese.
Stir the mixture while it simmers, and the butter, half-and-half, and cheese begin to meld and melt into the soup base.
When hot, it is ready to ladle into bowls. Note – DO NOT BOIL THIS SOUP.

FAQS

What can you serve with Marie Callender’s Potato Cheese Soup Recipe?

For those who think that soup is not a meal, there are some great options from which to choose. From the bread category, consider these side dishes:

Cheese Breadsticks.
Crusty French Bread.
Buttermilk Biscuits.
Ranch Biscuits, etc.

For a more balanced combination, consider these vegetable or salad sides for this potato soup recipe:

Sugar Snap Peas.
Garlicky & Roasted Broccoli.
Spaghetti Squash.
Air Fryer Cauliflower, etc.
Arugula & Fennel Salad
Spinach, Apple & Walnut Salad, etc.

How does Marie Callender’s Potato Cheese Soup Recipe’s Nutritional Information Stack Up?

A serving of this delicious, creamy potato cheese soup packs approximately 430 calories. While there is a fair amount of carbohydrates per serving (36 grams or 12% of RDA), there is also nearly 5 grams of fiber and 11 grams of protein as well. Marie Callender’s Potato Soup recipe is also low in sugar, with each serving providing about 4 grams.

Can You Freeze Marie Callender’s Potato Cheese Soup?

The best part about this delicious soup is that it is freezer friendly. Freeze in an airtight container, like a Ziplock bag. Let the frozen soup thaw in the fridge overnight or reheat it on low heat until it is smooth.

You can also read:

How to Make Marie Callender’s Potato Cheese Soup Recipe At Home

The Steps to Make Marie Callender’s Potato Cheese Soup Recipe At Home