Creamy Leek and Potato Soup
The season of soups and stews is in full swing! I’ve always been curious about trying a leek and potato soup, with its earthy flavors and creamy texture. However, let me preface the rest of this post by saying that this isn’t Julia Child’s famous recipe. I wanted a healthier version that didn’t use heavy cream. I came across a vegetarian version of the soup on Life As a Strawberry, but used chicken broth instead of vegetable stock and also changed up the way I dealt with the potatoes. On a gloomy day like today, I thought I’d share my version below!
INGREDIENTS:
- 3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 2 leeks, roughly chopped (rinsed thoroughly to remove any dirt)
- 4 large yukon gold potatoes, roughly chopped (I used 3 red potatoes and 1 russet for this post because…that’s what I had in the pantry)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cups chicken broth or stock
- 1 cup milk
DIRECTIONS:
- In a large saucepan or pot, heat olive oil over medium heat.
- When oil is hot, add leeks, potatoes, garlic, salt and pepper. Sauté, stirring occasionally, for 3-5 minutes or until leeks have softened.
Saute Leeks, Potatoes, and Garlic - Add vegetable stock to pot and stir to combine.
- Strip leaves from thyme sprigs and add to pot. Stir to combine.
- Bring soup to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes until potatoes are cooked through and easily pierced with a fork.
- Add milk to soup and stir to combine.
- Remove soup from heat and carefully remove potatoes from the soup, and place them in a large bowl. Mash potatoes with a potato ricer (or pastry blender in a pinch!). Blend the remaining liquid contents of the soup in a blender until smooth, or use an immersion blender.
Puree Leek Mixture - Stir riced potatoes back into the soup, and season with salt and pepper as needed.*
Mash Potatoes Separately
*I don’t like the idea of blending potatoes, because the blending process changes the potato texture to be gummy. This soup won’t be silky smooth, but I prefer that texture to that of gummy potatoes. That being said, if you don’t mind that glue-y texture and really need the soup to be silky smooth, use an immersion blender to blend all ingredients together in step 7 instead of removing the potatoes and mashing them separately.
Yes, I am fully aware of how very not photogenic this soup is. We can toss this into the as-tasty-as-it-is-ugly category!
If your soup is too thick after blending, thin it out with a splash of milk or vegetable stock. Too thin? Bring it back to a simmer and cook until it’s reached your desired consistency.
This soup is easy to make in advance and it freezes well.
To make this soup vegan, replace the milk with additional vegetable stock, coconut milk, or almond milk, and omit the heavy cream.