Potato and Leek Soup
This Potato and Leek Soup is the ultimate comfort food recipe, made with fresh herbs, with all the coziness of potatoes and cream. This soup is finished in under an hour!
I sat outside on my porch this morning. It was 58 degrees, the sun was rising, and I was sitting on my rocking chair with a book and a pumpkin cold brew coffee, and had the best epiphany: autumn is finally here.
Autumn is my favorite season for pretty much every reason – the weather, the leaves changing colors, the crisp evenings reading a book on the porch, all the pumpkin and apple, and best of all, it’s the perfect time of year to break out the Dutch oven and make a huge pot of your favorite soup. Try my Pumpkin Mousse for more fall vibes!
Soup season has officially arrived, and I’ve gone all in with my Pumpkin Chili, Mulligatawny, and now my favorite, Potato and Leek Soup!
This soup is very easy and the potatoes, leeks, herbs, and spices all lend to a very homey and comforting flavor that you will love!
What do I need to get started?
- A large pot or Dutch Oven.
- An immersion blender (look here for my favorite Star Wars themed immersion blender!) or a regular blender will work as well, but it is more work.
- Bacon. See below how best to prepare the bacon and all my bacon recommendations!
- Butter. You can also use olive oil, but I think the flavor of butter works better for this recipe.
- Leeks. Please keep in mind that leeks need to be thoroughly cleaned before use – rinse, then roughly chop, then rinse again.
- Celery.
- Minced garlic.
- Thyme and bay leaf – fresh and not chopped.
- Yukon Gold Potatoes. I found these worked better in this soup than russet potatoes.
- Chicken stock.
- Heavy Cream.
- Salt and pepper, to taste. I found freshly cracked black pepper to work best, but ground white pepper would be good as well.
- Minced chives.
Cooking the Bacon
Keep in mind that bacon is totally optional for this dish, but I find it is really elevated when bacon is included.
Thick cut bacon is best for soups! Bake 6 strips in the oven for 20 minutes, then place on a paper towel covered plate. Once it is cool, chop in big chunks.
How to make Potato Leek Soup
After the bacon is cooked and all ingredients are prepped – leeks chopped and cleaned, celery chopped, chicken stock measured out, potatoes chopped and cubed, and herbs and spices ready to go – melt the butter over medium heat. Once melted, add the leeks, celery, and garlic.
Cook, stirring occasionally until everything has softened and the leeks have wilted.
Add the potatoes, chicken broth, full sprigs of thyme, bay leaves, salt, and pepper, then bring to a boil.
Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pot, and cook for about 15 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.
Once the potatoes are cooked through, remove the pot from the heat, fish out the thyme sprig and bay leaves using tongs. Then, using an immersion blender, blend the soup until it is completely smooth with no chunks.
Add heavy cream and stir together, then bring the soup back to a simmer. Taste, then add more salt and pepper as needed. Add in the bacon and chives and enjoy!
Toppings
- More bacon is always good!
- Shredded cheese – parmesan or cheddar are good options.
- Scallions.
- If you like some heat, top it with a little bit of crushed red pepper!
Potato and Leek Soup
Warm and homey potato leek soup!
Ingredients
- 6 strips bacon
- 4 tbsp butter
- 2 leeks, chopped
- 3 celery stalks, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 fresh bay leaves
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 3 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- Minced chives
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350, then cook the bacon for 20 minutes. Once cooked, remove to a paper towel covered plate.
- Prep all ingredients: wash leeks, roughly chop, then wash again. Chop and wash celery. Mince garlic. Peel and chop potatoes. Mince chives, and once bacon is cooked, chop into small bite size pieces.
- Melt butter in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Once butter is melted, add in leeks, celery, and garlic. Saute until soft and leeks are wilted - about 8-10 minutes.
- Add chicken broth, potatoes, whole bay leaves, sprigs of thyme, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, lower to a simmer (medium low heat), and cover for 15-20 minutes, or until potatoes are soft.
- When potatoes are soft, remove pot from the heat, and fish out thyme sprigs and bay leaves using tongs.
- With your pot still off the heat, use an immersion blender and blend soup until it is completely smooth and free of chunks.
- Return pot to the heat and add heavy cream. Bring to a simmer, then add minced chives to taste, leaving some for additional topping.
- Top with chopped bacon and enjoy!
