If you're a pepper fiend, some black or white pepper would be a great addition.
Set your slow cooker to HIGH and cook for 4-5 hours, or, if you're gone for the day, set it to LOW for 8 hours.
You can roast your garlic while the soup cooks by setting your oven to 400°F, chopping the tippity top off each garlic head, drizzling with olive oil, and sealing in a foil pouch. Roast for about an hour and then squeeze each head of garlic to release the yummy roasted garlic "butter" from the bulbs and spoon into the soup when it's done! I add a LOT of garlic to my soup (2-3 heads of roasted garlic) but feel free to add less, to taste. You can also roast a huge batch of garlic earlier in the week to use in recipes [like this one] all week long! In a rush? Saute a few cloves (I would say 4-5 cloves max) of garlic and toss it in the slow cooker with your veggies!
After returning to your slow cooker, you have a very important [ok not that important] decision to make. Do you want your soup chunky or smooth?
For smooth soup, use a potato masher or even an immersion blender to creamify the soup.
For chunky potato soup, grab a wooden spoon and mash the potatoes partially. I went the fabulously chunky route and it came out deliciously thick and hearty.
Ready to eat? Simply mix in your cheese and garnish with all your favorites!
I add extra cheese to mine; like you hadn't guessed already =) Yum!
Notes
A little butter or olive oil can help round out the creaminess of the soup if you'd like totally optional and yummy both ways!Nutrition Facts below are estimated using an online recipe nutrition calculator. Adjust as needed based on toppings chosen and enjoy!