Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil.
- 3 large leeks.
- 2 garlic cloves, minced.
- 4 cups vegetable broth, or more for a thinner texture.
- 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced into ½-inch pieces.
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt.
- 1 bay leaf.
- 2 sprigs of fresh thyme.
- Freshly chopped chives and black pepper for garnish.
When the weather outside becomes a little chilly, people love to warm up to this potato leek soup, a classic comfort dish. Since the potatoes already offer the ideal amount of smoothness to the soup, adding dairy is honestly not necessary in other varieties.
So, yes, my version is vegetarian and dairy-free. It’s also cost-effective and useful for meal preparation. Just place a couple servings in the freezer for future convenience. So allow me to demonstrate how to make it. You’ll need three sizable leeks to get started. And since you’ll be using leeks in this recipe, aim for ones that have a lot of the white and light green sections.
Leeks’ green leaves can be chopped off and thrown away or used in future stocks. After that, cut the lighter section in half along its length. Because they belong to the same Allium family as onions, leeks also have all of these layers. However, they have a history of accumulating sand and debris in those layers.
You must therefore thoroughly clean them. I used to simply use my fingers to clean them in this manner while running them under the faucet. But I discovered that it sometimes left behind those difficult to locate grittier sand particles. So, cutting them up is the wisest course of action. After cutting them, rinse them in a sieve. After chopping up all three of these leeks, I’ll put them in a sieve and transfer them to the sink.
Use your best judgment to ensure that all of the dirt and debris is removed when you run the sliced leeks under the cold water faucet. If you want, you could also submerge them in a sizable basin of water before draining it. Finally, put them aside. Two pounds of potatoes make up the second key component of this potato leek soup. For a texture that is smooth and creamy, I favor using Yukon Gold potatoes.
However, you could also use russet or white potatoes. To ensure consistent cooking, peel the potatoes and cut them into two pieces of roughly the same size. After that, put them in a bowl and carry it over to the stove. Okay, let’s get started on the soup. In a big pot or Dutch oven, heat two tablespoons of olive oil on medium. Leeks should be added and sauteed for eight to ten minutes, or until tender. They shouldn’t really be browned or beginning to caramelize.
So, if they start to brown like mine have, just slightly reduce the heat. Two garlic cloves are minced and added to the saucepan. After that, combine that with some leeks and stir for another minute. Add the chopped potatoes, two to three sprigs of thyme, and one bay leaf to the saucepan. My thyme is also currently quite woody. Four cups of chicken or veggie broth and one teaspoon of kosher salt. However, make sure to use vegetable broth if you want to make this soup vegan or vegetarian.
That should be heated to a boil, then simmered for 15 to 20 minutes, with the lid on, until the potatoes are soft to the fork. Remove the lid from the soup after it’s finished cooking and stir it. When you do this, many of the thyme leaves will probably fall from the stem. And that’s okay, because you’ll quickly combine everything. Additionally, the extra thyme leaves simply increase flavor.
Then, if you’re like me and only have the woody stems remaining, use your tongue to remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs. To make sure the soup is prepared for blending, I prefer to pierce the potatoes with a fork a few times. And you’re good to go if the fork easily passes through a piece of potato. I prefer to blend this in my Vitamix Immersion Blender, which I’m kind of fascinated with because it’s so very strong. In my lentil soup recipe from the previous year, I demonstrated it.
So be sure to view that video again if you want further information. Additionally, you could blend this potato-leek soup in batches in a conventional blender if you don’t have an immersion blender. You can make this dish as smooth or chunky as you wish, which is fantastic. Some people prefer it a little chunkier. Personally, I like it velvety smooth, so I fully combine it. By virtue of the stretchiness of the potatoes, this soup has a very thick consistency when you’re done.
Once more, you have choices. Keep it as I’ve written it in the recipe on my website if you prefer it thick. However, you can add one to two cups more broth to the soup to thin it out if you want a thinner, more watery texture. You’ll get an additional helping as a result of that. The decision is entirely yours.
Add a few little folds of this delicious potato leek soup to a bowl when you’re ready to serve it. There are no decorations required for this filling, cozy, and comfortable meal. You know I’m all about the toppings, though. Therefore, I enjoy drizzling some extra virgin olive oil on top. However, you must exercise caution to avoid accidentally pouring out too much—I know I’ve done it.
Then, add a substantial amount of freshly cracked black pepper and thinly chopped chives. Making this soup is incredibly simple and only requires a few good-for-you ingredients. And you have to admire that the majority of the time. The simplest recipes are the ones that work out the best.