Description
This comforting Potato Leek Soup is a creamy, flavorful dish made by simmering tender leeks and Yukon Gold potatoes in broth, then puréeing until smooth and enriched with heavy cream. Perfect as a warming starter or light meal, it’s easy to prepare and freezer-friendly.
Ingredients
Scale
Sauté Base
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 large leeks, white and light green parts only, roughly chopped (about 5 cups)
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
Main Ingredients
- 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped into ½-inch pieces
- 7 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Finishing Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy cream
- Chives, finely chopped, for serving
Instructions
- Sauté the leeks and garlic: Melt the butter over medium heat in a large soup pot. Add the chopped leeks and smashed garlic cloves. Cook, stirring regularly, until the leeks are soft and wilted, about 10 minutes. Adjust the heat as necessary to prevent browning.
- Add potatoes and broth, simmer: To the pot, add the peeled and chopped Yukon Gold potatoes, chicken or vegetable broth, bay leaves, fresh thyme sprigs, salt, and black pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, then cover the pot and reduce heat to low. Let it simmer gently for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are very soft.
- Purée the soup: Remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaves from the pot. Use a hand-held immersion blender to purée the soup until smooth, or carefully transfer the soup in batches to a standard blender—filling the jar no more than halfway and keeping the lid vented with a towel to release steam. Return the puréed soup to a clean pot if needed.
- Add cream and adjust consistency: Stir in the heavy cream and bring the soup to a gentle simmer. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper as desired. If the soup is too thin, continue to simmer until it thickens; if too thick, add water or stock to reach preferred consistency.
- Serve and garnish: Ladle the hot soup into bowls and garnish with finely chopped fresh chives. Serve immediately for best flavor.
Notes
- When puréeing in a standard blender, do not fill the jar more than halfway and vent the lid by covering loosely with a dishtowel to allow hot steam to escape safely.
- This soup can be frozen for up to 3 months if the heavy cream is omitted before freezing. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat gently on the stovetop, then add cream and bring back to a simmer before serving.
- Use vegetable broth for a vegetarian version, or chicken broth for a richer flavor.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup (about 240 ml)
- Calories: 220
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 600mg
- Fat: 12g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 22g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 40mg
