Creamy Potato & Leek Soup
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A handful of years ago I was at a wedding that served a Cream of Potato & Leek soup as part of the meal. It’s one of the most memorable food items I’ve ever had at a wedding… maybe the most memorable. It was delicious – thick and hearty, creamy, and full of flavor. The leeks imparted a mellow flavor reminiscent of an onion, but not nearly as strong or overpowering, and the taste of potato really shined through. I’ve been dreaming of that soup ever since, and keep making mental notes to look for a recipe so I could try to recreate it. Well, it’s been almost five years, so I’d say that my statute of limitations was almost up, and I finally hunkered down to make a version of cream of potato and leek soup. It’s just as delicious as I remember it, and I love that I can now have it anytime at home, without being reduced to just daydreaming about it!
Of all the potato and leek soup recipes that I found I loved this one most for two reasons:
#1: It is creamy; and
#2: There is not any cream in the recipe.
Sounds like a contradiction, doesn’t it? The creamy texture is achieved by adding a slice of dried out bread (torn into pieces) into the soup and then ultimately pureeing everything together in the blender. The flavors blend beautifully and the bread helps to give it a thickness that otherwise would need heavy doses of cream to achieve. I love how healthy that makes this soup!
The original recipe calls for chicken broth, but as a general rule of thumb, I use vegetable broth for any soup or dish that doesn’t include meat to begin with. This has become a habit since my sister became a vegetarian; I like to make sure that if something doesn’t have meat in it then mere broth won’t keep her from eating it. (The one exception to this rule is French Onion Soup!)
Have you ever eaten something at a function that you just can’t stop thinking about?!
One year ago: Butternut Squash Soup
Two years ago: How to Roast Garlic
Three years ago: Wendy’s Copycat Chili
Four years ago: The Perfect Omelet[/donotprint]
Creamy Potato & Leek Soup
Ingredients
- 4 medium leeks, white and light-green parts halved lengthwise, washed, and sliced thin (about 4 cups), dark green parts halved, washed, and cut into 2-inch pieces
- 2 cups (470 ml) vegetable broth
- 2 cups (500 ml) water
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup (160 g) chopped onion
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 small russet potato, about 6 ounces, peeled, halved lengthwise, and cut into 1/4-inch slices
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 4-inch sprig fresh thyme or tarragon
- 1 large slice white sandwich bread, lightly toasted and torn into 1/2-inch pieces
- Ground black pepper
Instructions
- Bring dark-green leek pieces, broth, and water to boil in large saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes. Strain broth through fine-mesh strainer into medium bowl, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible; set aside. Discard solids in strainer and rinse out saucepan.
- Melt butter in now-empty saucepan over medium-low heat. When butter foams, stir in sliced leeks, onion, and salt. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes.
- Increase heat to high, stir in reserved broth, potato, bay leaf, and herb sprig and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Add toasted bread and simmer until bread is completely saturated and starts to break down, about 5 minutes.
- Remove and discard bay leaf and herb sprig. Transfer half of soup to blender and process until smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to large bowl and repeat with remaining soup. Return soup to saucepan and bring to simmer over medium-low heat; season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish and serve.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
I love a creamy potato soup and I am going to make this recipe thank you for always having great recipes
You may want to edit your commentary above as this is not a recipe you developed. Rather it was developed by Cook’s Illustrated. Please give proper credit where credit is due. Otherwise, it’s plagiarism. Thank you.
Love this soup! xx
https://asparklingjourney.wordpress.com/2016/04/14/leek-and-potato-soup/
This soup was DELICIOUS!!! I used a large potato and omitted the bread. I also used the chicken broth. It was perfect! Thank you for such a great recipe!
Awww I just prepared the soup! It’s delicious :) The only thing I changed was the bread for milk! Thanks for the recipe!
Wowswers….just made it today. My 5 year old and dad in law both gobbled it up. Very very tasty
I love you and your recipes
This was delicious! I had some leftover mashed potatoes & used a scoop of that in lieu of the bread & it worked out great. I’m sad this only makes 4 servings! I guess I’ll have to make it again soon : )
Great recipe! Easy and delicious. I had some leftover pieces of grilled pork loin that I chopped in small chunks and added to the finished soup. It made it a little more hearty and filling.
I’ve made this twice now, and will make it a third time for Christmas. Since I never have white bread around, I substituted with 1/2 cup of Panko bread crumbs. It worked perfectly!
Do you know how to scale up this recipe ? Is it just a matter of times-ing everything by 7? I’m cooking for about 25 for a homeless shelter and this could be first course.
I’ve never scaled it that large, but yes, I would just increase everything seven-fold if that’s how much you need to make. Definitely let me know how it goes!
It tastes lovely – just right for a cold night in London.
Tried your recipe and the soup turned out great! It was very tasty and filling. Highly recommend and would make again.
I made this tonight. I didn’t have white bread so I used the Panko breadcrumbs. I used about 1/2 cup. It was perfect on the first rain of the season. Thanks for the wonderful recipe.
I have to say, I doubted this recipe. Only one, small potato?!? But, we forged ahead and am so glad we did. It’s really delicious! We used whole wheat bread and it turned out just fine. My Mom couldn’t get over that it didn’t have any cream in it. I ended up baking an additional potato separately and adding some chunks from that after the soup was blended just to stretch it a bit (and I like chunks of potato in soup) and that worked very well. But it certainly doen’t need it, very potato-y on it’s own. Thanks for such a great recipe!
I’ve tried this recipe twice now and my boyfriend and I just think it’s DIVINE. Do you think you could substitute bread into any soup recipe for heavy cream? We live in Turkey and it doesn’t seem to be available but I enjoy making soup.
FYI, I posted about your recipe on my blog: http://turkishlydelightful.blogspot.com/2011/11/adventures-in-cooking-potato-and-leek.html
Hi Melinda, It’s a good question, I don’t see why not!
I made this last week. A bit labor intensive, but it came out pretty good. I do feel like it needs a little bit more flavor but I’m not sure what exactly!
I made this recipe last weekend and absolutely loved it! It was creamy without the cream (and the accompanying calories and fat). If you haven’t tried this recipe, please do! You’ll love it. Another great recipe from the Brown Eyed Baker!
Can you use french or ciabbata bread and just cut of the crust?
Yes, I think that would work!
I love leek and potato soup and your version looks absolutely perfect and amazing! I can’t wait to make this!
Does this ever look good. I’ve never cooked with leeks before so this is a perfect first recipe to try. The flavors sound really good together.
I do the same thing with soup broth. I feel like if it almost vegetarian, why not make it so?
This looks so incredibly delicious. You will see it on my menu SOON!
yummy…gotta make some soon!
So happy to see there is no cream, but it looks so creamy and satisfying.
I feel the same exact way about a tiramisu that I had at a rehearsal dinner like 14 years ago! I have dreams of that dessert!!
This is my favorite kind of soup!
My mom makes my favorite version, and although I’ve never tried to recreate it, I really want to!
She doesn’t use cream either, but hers tends to be runny so I’m curious about the bread trick! Can’t wait to try it.
I love Potato Leek Soup and recently posted about it on my blog as well. It’s wonderful, has just a few ingredients, and is creamy without the cream. What’s not to like?
Yes! I love creamy soups and am truly tickled when I find recipes without cream. Thanks!
I’m totally on a soup kick and love this recipe! YUM! Can’t wait to try it…
Ohhhh, yum. I just love a good potato soup recipe.
Just last year I discovered my love for leeks–I can’t wait to try this!
There is something so comforting and warm about this combo of flavors. I can almost taste it through the computer screen. Nice texture and toppings!
Would it be all right to use wheat bread? We don’t have white at home because no one eats it, and using just one large slice doesn’t seem to make sense to buy an entire loaf. Looks amazing though, I’m definitely going to be trying this soon!
Hi Heather, I certainly don’t see why not! Go for it!
Thanks Michelle! We usually have the 40-Calorie Wheat bread at home, and it’s lighter than normal wheat bread – do you think that might change the consistency? I’m going to be making it tonight I went out and bought everything else last night!
Hi Heather, I would use two slices of that light bread – I used one slice of regular, thick-sliced sandwich bread. Enjoy dinner tonight!
I ended up making it last night instead – but it was amazing!! Getting ready to have some for lunch :)
I love the bread trick! I would’ve never thought of that. The soup looks delicious. I need to remember to grab some leeks next time I’m at the store.
I love this soup, can’t wait to try your recipe! :)
I love soup! I’ve seen recipes for potato leek soup, but have never tried it. I’m bookmarking this recipe- it sounds delicious!
Oh, I wish I could have this for lunch today!!! Sounds so yummy!
I’m making this tonight! By my calculations, it’s just 173 calories/serving (I’ll be using chicken stock, because that’s what I have at home). Thanks for a great, calorie-conscious recipe choice!
Oh yummmmmmm. Potato and Leek soup (in any form) is an absolute favorite of mine! Now I wish it would snow (don’t kill me – it’s my favorite excuse for making potato soup)!
This is really different with the bread in it, never heard of that! Must try, thank you :)
thanks for posting. I just bought leeks and potatoes but didn’t have a recipe. Now I have!
Funny you shared this recipe, I just bought a huge bag of potatoes, I promised him potato soup this week! Your soup looks delish!!!
This is my all time favorite soup! Thanks!
Looks delish! This is one of my favorite soups, I recently did a cauliflower and leek soup in attemt to be a bit healthier…. but what I really want is potato!
This looks wonderful! I love soups, esp at this time of year. I’m on a soup kick.
I tend to fantasize about sharks fin soup after attending a Chinese or Vietnamese wedding; fantasies are made worse when you don’t have a hope of recreating the dish!
The leek and potato soup sounds fantastic. And healthy?? I’ve gotta find some leeks and put this on my lunch menu for the chilly days coming up :)
I’ve just ate dinner and am hungry again :P
Thanks to your dishes, I think I might have to start making savory food now :)