The Best Potato and Leek Soup Recipe

This is the best potato and leek Soup Recipe. It was created from my loaded baked potato soup recipe. It is a much healthier version and I think it's just as delicious. One of the great things about this recipe is it utilizes so many fresh vegetables that are easy to grow in most climates or purchase at a local farmer's market. For me, that's important as we work towards growing more of our own food and learning to create recipes that are not only healthy but delicious. After all, it doesn't do any good to grow your own food if you don't use it or enjoy the dishes you cook from it. 

 

The Broth or Base

Making your own roasted vegetable broth is really easy, incredibly tasty, and much more nutritional when compared to the store-bought kind. I do my best to make our broth in large batches and then canning up some of it and freezing some. You can find my vegetable broth recipe here. You can watch my process in this short series of videos where I take you step-by-step through the entire process including canning and freezing it!

The Ingredients

This recipe quickly became one of our favorites because it uses so many fresh vegetables and has a creamy, rich flavor that makes you doubt that it's actually pretty healthy depending on the base and rather you choose cream or half and half. For the vegetables the fresher the better. Did you know that the older your potatoes are the less likely they are to soften? It's true, so you want the potatoes to be a fresh as possible. The bay leaf and thyme can be either fresh or dried.

What We Grow Ourself For This Recipe

What we grow for this depends on the time of the year. We always have chives and thyme growing inside and outside, almost year-round we have leaks and carrots somewhere in the garden. Currently, we have three small-medium size bay leaf bushes that I get our bay leaves from. I'm hoping to propagate more this spring/fall. Potatoes are not something I have growing right now but I plan to get them started very soon.

The Best Potato and Leek Soup Recipe

This soup DOES get better over time. Keep covered with plastic, not foil in the refrigerator, or it will pick up other tastes. Assuming it is properly stored, the leftover soup will last 3-4 days in the refrigerator. I like to store our leftover soup in small plastic containers that are already portioned for a single serving.

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoon butter or olive oil
  • 4-5 cups  (whites only), thoroughly washed and sliced (from about 4 large leeks)
  • 2 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
  • 2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
  • 3 Carrots chopped
  • 1 bay leaf (I grow ours)
  • 1 ½ teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme
  • 8 cups vegetable broth for a vegetarian version, or chicken stock for regular
  • 2 teaspoons Sea salt (more to taste)
  • 1 Cup of Half and Half or heavy whipping cream (We made the switch to Half and Half and love it)
  • Chopped fresh chives for garnish

DIRECTIONS

  1. In a large (6-quart) pot, heat the butter on medium-high heat until it melts and starts to foams up. Continue to heat until the butter just begins to brown.
  2. Immediately toss in the sliced leeks, carrots, and celery. Stir to coat with the butter. Cook until the leeks are translucent and slightly wilted.
  3. Put the vegetable or chicken stock, potatoes, leeks, celery, bay leaf, and thyme in a large pot and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Boil until the potatoes are soft, 15 to 20 minutes.
  4. Remove the bay leaf.
  5. Blend about ½ the soup depending on how chunky you want the soup with an immersion blender (or in batches in a blender or food processor) and return to the pan.
  6. Add the Half and Half or cream and simmer until the soup has thickened, about 20 minutes. Add more salt to taste. Serve garnished with chopped fresh chives.

THE BEST POTATO AND LEEK SOUP RECIPE

  • 4 tablespoon butter or olive oil
  • 2 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
  • 2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
  • 3 whole carrots, chopped
  • 1 each bay leaf (We grow our own)
  • 1.5 teaspoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
  • 8 cups vegetable broth (We make and can our own)
  • 2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 cup Half and Half or heavy whipping cream
  • Chopped fresh chives for garnish

  1. In a large (6-quart) pot, heat the butter on medium-high heat until it melts and starts to foams up. Continue to heat until the butter just begins to brown.

  2. Immediately toss in the sliced leeks, carrots, and celery. Stir to coat with the butter. Cook until the leeks are translucent and slightly wilted.

  3. Put the vegetable or chicken stock, potatoes, leeks, celery, bay leaf, and thyme in a large pot and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Boil until the potatoes are soft, 15 to 20 minutes.

  4. Remove the bay leaf.

  5. Blend about ½ the soup depending on how chunky you want the soup with an immersion blender (or in batches in a blender or food processor) and return to the pan.

  6. Add the Half and Half or cream and simmer until the soup has thickened, about 20 minutes. Add more salt to taste. Serve garnished with chopped fresh chives.

Safety Note: When blending hot liquid, first let it cool for five minutes or so, then transfer it to a blender, filling only halfway. Put the lid on, leaving one corner open. Cover the lid with a kitchen towel to catch splatters, and pulse until smooth.

You can find More soup and stew recipes here. 

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