For the longest time, I really did not think I liked soup. My rationale was that it was too watery, or it didn’t fill you up enough. But all over social media, I saw people were making homemade soups with crusty bread, especially on snow days, and decided I would finally bite the bullet and see what the hype was all about.
I had stumbled upon the concept of potato-leek soup one day while scrolling through the internet, and thought it was strange as I had never grown up with a similar recipe. It wasn’t until I actually made this soup last week that I fell in love with it: deliciously creamy, chock-full of vegetables, and pairs perfectly with sourdough, ciabatta, or any rustic bread recipe.
With it being the very beginning of 2025, I have decided that it is a “new year, new me” and am trying to eat healthier and move more. Although I try to be intentional with pairing my meals with greens or adding vegetables to certain dishes, I didn’t realize how easy it would be to “hide” the nutritional value of soup by blending vegetables and calling it a day! Something I wish to try soon is lentil soup (with a myriad of vegetables included), but I am excited to explore many different types!
Here is the recipe for Potato Leek Soup that I used, courtesy of Well Plated by Erin. The only modification I made was using sour cream instead of Greek yogurt, and I did not need to add milk. If you do decide to make it, I hope you enjoy it!
Ingredients (serves 6)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (I used salted Kerry Gold and left out the kosher salt)
- 4 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts only
- 1 large clove garlic (1 teaspoon), minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper plus additional for serving
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch chunks (about 4 potatoes)
- 4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
- ½ to 1 cup 2% or whole milk (as needed)
- ½ cup plain whole Greek yogurt (sour cream can be used to substitute)
- 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon dried dill weed
- 2 large green onions thinly sliced (about 1/3 cup), divided
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven or similar large, deep pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the leeks. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are very soft, about 10 minutes. Adjust the heat as needed so the leeks sweat but do not brown.
- Stir in the garlic, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle the flour over the top. With a wooden spoon, stir vigorously for 1 full minute. All of the white bits of flour should disappear.
- Slowly pour in the vegetable broth, stirring constantly and pausing periodically between additions so that lumps do not form.
- Add the potatoes. Increase the heat to high and bring to a steady simmer, then cover the pot and reduce the heat to low. Let simmer, covered, until the potatoes are super soft and beginning to fall apart, about 25 to 30 minutes.
- With an immersion blender, puree the soup until thick and smooth, adding milk as needed if it is thicker than you would like; if you don’t have an immersion blender, add a few ladlefuls to a regular blender and carefully puree (be careful! hot soup splatters). Stir the blended soup back into the pot; repeat as needed.
- Add a few spoonfuls of the hot soup into a medium bowl. Add the Greek yogurt and stir to combine (this helps temper the yogurt to deter curdling).
- Stir the yogurt mixture back into the soup.
- Add the vinegar, mustard, and dill. Stir in half of the green onions. Taste and adjust the seasoning as desired. Serve hot with the remaining green onions sprinkled over the top and a few grinds of black pepper.