Dice one large sweet onion. Set the Crockpot or slow cooker to high cook. Add a drizzle of olive oil, diced onion and minced garlic. Cook for 20 minutes.

While the aromatics are cooking, prepare your additional ingredients. Wash a 5 pound bag of potatoes and towel dry.

Dice potatoes into ½ inch chunks.

Add cream cheese, veggie broth and potatoes to the pot.

Add homemade ranch seasoning (recipe is in chapter one) or two packets of ranch seasoning.

Mix everything in the slow cooker.

Cook on high for 6-8 hours, or until the potatoes are tender and cooked through.

Once the potatoes are fully cooked, blend about ¼ of the soup using an immersion blender or transferring some to a blender. This helps thicken the soup.

Optional: 30 minutes before you’re ready to serve, cook the bacon according to package instructions. Once cooked, crumble or chop the bacon into small pieces.

Right before serving, add two cups of shredded cheddar and mix thoroughly.

Serve hot in bowls, top each bowl with shredded cheddar and crispy bacon pieces.