Tater Tot Soup

Here’s the fastest cheese-and-potato soup we can imagine! The Tater Tots break apart— even break down— under pressure, leaving you with little potato shreds, as if you’d grated a potato into the soup. Those potato bits also thicken the soup, particularly as it sits a few minutes after cooking to melt all that (absolutely necessary) cheese. The frozen hash brown cubes then give you more little bits of potato throughout the soup for a better overall texture. Dried herbs work better than fresh here. They have an earthier flavor that matches the Tater Tots and cheese. And one other thing: Heat the liquid up before you add the Tater Tots. Otherwise, they fall to the bottom of the pot in the (colder) liquid. You’ll end up with a burn notice, no question.

Cuisine

Modern

Course

Kids, Lunch, Main Course

Difficulty

Easy

Duration

15-30 min

Diet

Gluten Free

Cooking Technique

Max Pressure Cook, Pressure Cook, Sauté

Keywords

15-30 min, 6-8 servings, Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough, butter, chicken or vegetable broth, contributed, cook 20 min, dried basil, easy, frozen tater tots, frozen unseasoned hash brown cubes, gluten free, ground black pepper, kids, lunch, main course, max pressure cook, modern, onion powder, peeled and minced garlic, prep 5 min, pressure cook, sauté, shredded mild

Prep Time

5 min

Cook Time

20 min

Servings

6-8 servings

Ingredients

6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 tbsp butter
2 tsp garlic, peeled and minced
2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp onion powder
½ tsp ground black pepper
1 lb frozen unseasoned hash brown cubes
2 cups frozen tater tots
2 cups shredded mild cheddar cheese

Instructions

Press the Sauté button on the Instant Pot®. Set it to High, More, or Custom 400°F / 205°C, and set the time for 10 minutes.
In the Instant Pot®, combine the broth, butter, garlic, dried herbs, onion powder, and pepper. Heat, stirring occasionally, until the liquid begins to steam. Stir in the hash brown cubes and tater tots. Lock the lid onto the pot.
Option 1: Max Pressure Cooker Press Pressure Cook on Max Pressure for 3 minutes with the Keep Warm setting off.
Option 2: All Pressure Cookers Press Soup/Broth or Pressure Cook (Manual) on High Pressure for 4 minutes with the Keep Warm setting off. Ensure the valve is closed.
Use the quick-release method to bring the pot’s pressure back to normal. Unlatch the lid and open the cooker. Stir in the cheese. Place the lid askew over the pot for a couple of minutes to allow the cheese to melt. Stir again, then serve hot. Enjoy!

Notes

Beyond
• For an 8-quart Instant Pot, you must increase the broth to 2 quarts (8 cups).
• For a richer soup, stir up to 1 cup heavy or light cream into the soup before you add the cheese in step 5.
• For a sweeter soup, use half regular tots and half sweet potato tots (sometimes called “puffs”).
• Garnish the servings with crumbled bacon, sour cream, and / or minced chives (or the green part of a scallion). Or crisp Tater Tots in a skillet,
toaster oven, or an air fryer and use them as a garnish on the soup