Potato Leek Soup
Potato Leek Soup is the perfect comfort food to warm you up on chilly days. This simple homemade recipe is quick and easy to make and turns out absolutely creamy and delicious.
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 small-medium leeks light green and white parts only, halved lengthwise, rinsed and thinly sliced (about 3 cups)
- 1 medium onion roughly chopped (about 1 heaping cup)
- 1 clove garlic sliced
- 1 ½ pounds Yukon Gold potatoes peeled and cut into ½-inch chunks (about 4 cups)
- 4-5 cups chicken broth use 4 cups for a thicker soup, 5 cups for a brothier soup
- salt & pepper to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 bay leaf optional
- 1 cup heavy cream half-and-half or sour cream also work - or use a mix; whole milk can work if being careful, but it splits more easily than higher fat dairy
- lemon juice, freshly cracked black pepper, chopped chives optional, for serving
Instructions
- Prep:This recipe works best in a 5-6 quart Dutch oven or heavy soup pot. Get your ingredients ready.
- Sauté the vegetables:Melt the butter over medium heat in your soup pot. Add the leeks and onion to the pot and stir. Cover with a lid and cook over medium-low heat until softened but NOT browned, about 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic.2 tablespoons butter, 3 small-medium leeks, 1 medium onion, 1 clove garlic
- Assemble soup:Once the leeks and onions are soft, add the potatoes and chicken broth to the pot. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Add the bay leaf, if using.1 ½ pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, 4-5 cups chicken broth, salt & pepper, ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1 bay leaf
- Simmer:Bring the soup to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes are fully tender. Discard the bay leaf.
- Blend the soup:Take the pot off the heat, allow to cool for 5 minutes and blend the soup until smooth - work in batches if necessary, following you blender's instructions for hot liquids.Tip: Do not overprocess the soup, or the potatoes can turn gloopy.
- Finish the soup:Pour the soup back into the pot. Stir in the heavy cream and gently warm for 1-2 minutes over medium-low heat (don't boil!). Taste and adjust seasoning.Tip: At this point you can adjust the soup consistency - a little more broth makes it thinner, 1-3 teaspoons of cornstarch whisked into broth and then stirred into the soup makes it thicker.1 cup heavy cream
- Serve:Serve the soup hot with a little lemon juice, black pepper and chopped chives, if you like.lemon juice, freshly cracked black pepper, chopped chives