I loved clam chowder as a kid; I still do now. I hated the clams though and developed this potato bacon chowder when my kids were young- it was one of those dishes that my family and friends knew I made well and was always a treat in our house. It’s special, but easy enough to make on a weeknight. As my diet becomes increasingly paleo, and my kids have become vegetarian, this is one of those dishes that has been retired more or less.

Our kitchen is getting taken down for the second time in a few months and I will not be cooking for a week or two so I spent last week playing the “get rid of any food that will rot” game. Rain on Wednesday= soup so I was racking my brain for one that sounded good, would use up the kale and potatoes in my house, and wouldn’t require me to defrost or buy any meat. I remembered the potato soup I used to make and thought I would give it a paleo try.

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I haven’t messed with non wheat flours too much, and I’m still not totally sure which ones are best for a roux, but I had used tapioca flour in a recipe last month that my husband said reminded him of that soup so I figured I’d try it out. I was a little worried about the coconut milk too, but it came out just fine, and I’m happy to have found a way to return this favorite to our rotation. ❤

Creamy Bacon Potato Kale Soup

• 1 lb bacon
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3-4 inner stalks celery
• 1T. thyme
• 1/4 c. tapioca flour
• 1Lb. potatoes- cut into bite size pieces
• 8 cups chicken broth/stock (I used 1 box chicken stock and 1 box bone broth).
• 2 bunches dino kale, chopped
• 1/4-1/2 c. full fat coconut milk
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Brown the bacon in a dutch oven over medium heat till crispy. Remove bacon and drain about half the grease from the pan. Add onions, celery, and thyme and sauté till soft. Add the tapioca flour and cook for a minute. Slowly add the broth/stock, stirring the whole time and scraping up the brown bits at the bottom. When all the stock is in, add the potatoes and bring to a boil; cook until potatoes are soft- about 10 minutes. Add the kale and let cook 2-3 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk and turn the heat off. Salt and Pepper to taste.