soften carrots, celery, onion in butter

fry bacon, cut into pieces, reserve 1Tbl grease

put in soup pot: chopped hotdogs, carrots, celery, onion, diced tomatoes, and seasoning

cook till combined

add mashed potatoes, (do not pre-cook) it is used as a thickening agent

when you have soup the consistency you want, add bacon and bacon grease and serve