Potato Leek Soup

We don’t tend to be huge soup eaters in the Peiffer household, probably because it never feels cold enough in Santa Barbara for it. But, when we do commit to the soup route, we are definitely team thick and hearty! Potato leek soup checks both the thick and hearty boxes, without tons of heavy cream or added fat. It’s also the perfect meatless Monday meal!

PS – The last time we made potato leek soup, the stars aligned, it actually rained on a Monday, and I felt like some sort of meal planning magician!

I don’t know about you, but I feel like it’s just a waste of time to make a small batch of soup. If I’m going to peel and chop one pound of potatoes, I might as well peel and chop four! This potato leek soup stores well in the refrigerator for leftovers, and I actually think it’s better on night two than night one. We like to pair it with french bread for dipping, because you can never have too many carbs, right? 

To help give you an idea of how much to make, the recipe below typically lasts the two of us at least four nights, and we usually end up with a small bit left to freeze. Which, by the way, if you do freeze it, I recommend that you lay it flat in single or double portions so it’s easier to thaw out. If you freeze it in a massive block, the defrosting process takes for-ev-er.

Alright, friends, spring is around the corner so don’t sleep on this yummy soup! Grab these simple ingredients at the store, commit to some cozy soup nights (with easy leftovers), and thank me later 🙂 

xoxo

Jennifer

Potato Leek Soup

Difficulty: Easy

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

45

minutes

Total time

1

hour 

A healthy and hearty soup, perfect for chilly winter evenings!

Ingredients

• 3 large leeks

• 2 TBSP butter

• 4 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes

• 3 cups water

• 3 cups chicken broth

• 1 TSP salt

• 1/2 TSP black pepper

• 1/4 cup parsley

• 2 TSP fresh thyme (or 1/2 TSP dried thyme)

• Sriracha (optional)

Directions

• Wash, peel, and cut potatoes into 1-inch chunks. Set aside. Slice leeks in half lengthwise, remove root from bottom, and rinse thoroughly (these will be very gritty, so be sure to pull apart all of the layers). After drying the leeks, chop the white and light green portions into ~1/4 inch slices. Discard the dark green portion of leeks.
• In a large stockpot, melt butter over medium heat. Add in chopped leeks, turn the heat down to low, and cover for 10 minutes (stirring periodically). Do not let leeks brown!
• Add in potatoes, broth, water, salt, and pepper. The liquid should barely cover the potatoes in the pot. Leave the lid off of the pot and bring mixture to a low simmer. After it has reached a low simmer, continue to cook for 20 minutes uncovered.
• While the soup cooks, finely chop parsley and fresh thyme.
• After cooking for 20 minutes at a low simmer, test potato texture with a fork (they should be soft enough to easily stick a fork through). If potatoes feel too hard, continue to cook for 3 minutes, test, and repeat if necessary.
• Once potatoes have reached the appropriate level of tenderness, remove the pot from the heat. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup to desired consistency.
• Optional: Stir in approximately 1 TBSP of Sriracha or other hot sauce of your liking into the pot. You can also garnish individual bowls with hot sauce if you are sharing with someone who is spice averse!

Notes

• Immersion blenders make this recipe super easy, but if you don’t have one, for Step 6, you can scoop out half of the potatoes and broth into a glass blender (don’t melt your plastic one!), blend it up, and then pour it back into the pot.
• Speaking of immersion blenders…keep it touching the bottom of the pot at all times! If you lift it up while it’s on, I can’t be held responsible for the mess that will ensue 🙂