Million-Dollar Soup

This soup stands apart with its decadent, restaurant-level flavor. Million-dollar soup has a rich broth and several flavorful ingredients like bacon and caramelized onions.

There are occasions when a simple bowl of broth will do, and other times we want a soup that really knocks our socks off. Our million-dollar soup recipe is the latter. It tastes like a million bucks because it’s rich and savory thanks to the combination of bacon, caramelized onions, cheddar cheese, potato gnocchi and fennel. White wine, chicken stock and heavy cream make the liquid extra-flavorful and creamy, and toasted Parmesan bread crumbs add crunch to every luxurious spoonful.

Serve million-dollar soup as a special cold-weather supper or as a notch-above dish to impress your friends at the next dinner party. The soup joins the family of million-dollar recipes that are worth their weight in gold!

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Ingredients for Million-Dollar Soup

• Sweet onions: The caramelized onions in this soup begin with sliced sweet onions. Choose an onion variety like Walla Walla, Vidalia or Maui.
• Bacon: When you cook bacon, it’s worth making a large batch to have some on hand for leftover bacon recipes. This soup is one of them, as we add cooked diced bacon to the pot.
• Potato gnocchi: Find ready-made potato gnocchi in the pasta aisle or freezer case. They cook up in just minutes in the broth.
• Shredded chicken: Using leftover cooked chicken or rotisserie chicken saves lots of time when making this hearty soup.
• Kale: Chopped fresh kale packs a nutritional punch and also adds color to your million-dollar soup. It simmers to a tender texture right in the soup.
• Fennel: Chopped raw fennel has an anise-like flavor that mellows beautifully when sauteed. This perennial vegetable is part of the flavorful mirepoix.
• Celery: This diced veggie is also part of the soup’s base. Use the rest of the ribs in celery recipes like celery gratin and cold salads.
• Garlic: Use a Microplane, sharp knife or hand-held press to quickly mince garlic; then saute it for just a minute or two to mellow the sharp flavor.
• Cheddar cheese: What’s a rich soup without some cheese? Our million-dollar soup features shredded cheddar cheese for an extra-savory flavor, but only enough to let the rest of the soup’s flavors shine through.
• Chicken broth: A high-quality boxed chicken broth brand will make a difference in this soup recipe. Or, make homemade chicken broth and stash it in the freezer to have on hand for recipes like this one.
• Soy sauce: To give homemade soups a little boost of umami, editor Lesley Balla recommends a dash of soy sauce. Tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce are other umami-rich staples to keep in the pantry for soups.
• Cream: Use heavy or whipping cream to create a silky broth. Warm up the cream before slowly adding it to the soup so that it won’t curdle.
• White wine: The acidity of white wine helps balance the rich ingredients in this soup. Use it to deglaze the pan and release the fond to add extra flavor to the broth.
• Butter: Either salted or unsalted butter is fine for this recipe. It’s used to caramelize the onions, saute the vegetables and toast the bread crumbs.
• Olive oil: Because butter can easily scorch when used to saute, I use it in combination with olive oil. Both the oil and butter add flavor to the soup as well.
• Spices: This opulent soup has so many flavorful ingredients that I keep the spices simple: salt, pepper, a little dried thyme and a dash of cayenne pepper.
• Cornstarch: At the end of the cooking time, whisk a blend of cornstarch and cold water to act as a soup thickener and create a creamier texture.
• Bread crumbs: Make a simple, crunchy topping for the soup with panko bread crumbs. They have a coarse texture and toast quickly in the oven.
• Parmesan cheese: The final umami boost for this soup is Parmesan cheese baked into the panko bread crumbs.

With so many ingredients, this is an ideal recipe to practice mise en place, meaning everything in its place. Before starting the soup, have all the vegetables sliced or diced, the bacon chopped and the chicken shredded. Grate the cheddar cheese too. Have all the ingredients ready in bowls near the stove to add as the recipe directs.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 medium sweet onions, thinly sliced
• 1 pinch salt
• parmesan bread crumbs:
  • 1 cup panko bread crumbs
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• soup:
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 cup chopped celery
  • 1/2 cup sliced fennel bulb
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/4 cup white wine
  • 6 cups chicken stock
  • 3 cups chopped fresh kale
  • 1 cup crumbled cooked bacon, divided
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
  • 1 package (8 ounces) potato gnocchi
  • 2-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream, warmed
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 3 tablespoons cold water

Directions

1. 1

   To caramelize the onions, heat olive oil and butter in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat. Add onions; cook 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in salt. Reduce heat to low; cover. Cook until onions are soft, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the lid; cook another 20 minutes or until very soft and browned, stirring occasionally. Transfer to a small bowl; set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 15x10x1-in. baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper. To make the bread crumbs, in a small bowl, combine panko, Parmesan and melted butter. Spread in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes, stirring once, until golden brown. Remove; let cool.
3. To make the soup, add olive oil and butter to the same Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add celery and fennel; cook until softened and beginning to brown, 7-8 minutes. Add garlic; cook until fragrant, 30-60 seconds. Add white wine; bring to a simmer, scraping the browned bits up from the bottom until mostly dissolved, 1-2 minutes.
4. Add caramelized onions, chicken stock, kale, 3/4 cup crumbled bacon, soy sauce, salt, thyme and pepper to the pot; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat. Cover; simmer for 10-15 minutes.
5. Remove lid; stir in shredded chicken and gnocchi. Simmer uncovered until gnocchi floats to the top, 2-3 minutes. Stir in shredded cheese. Place cream in a small bowl; add a small amount of hot soup broth to the bowl to temper it. Slowly pour the mixture into the soup, stirring constantly. Stir in cayenne pepper.
6. In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and water. Stir into the soup; simmer until thickened, 2-3 minutes.
7. Ladle soup into serving bowls. Top each with remaining crumbled bacon and Parmesan bread crumbs. Serve immediately.

Nutrition Facts