This creamy Potato leek Soup is inspired by Julia Child's original recipe. It's made with fresh leeks, potatoes, vegetable stock, and heavy cream. Perfect for serving with crusty bread and a salad!
Looking for more easy soup recipes? Try my Baked Potato Soup or Chicken Gnocchi Soup next!
About This Recipe
Potato Leek Soup is a classic French Soup made with leeks, buttery yellow potatoes, and heavy cream. This recipe is inspired by Julia Child's recipe, which is one of the few recipes I have made from her iconic cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. The other recipe that I've made is her Tarragon chicken, which was phenomenal.
I made this recipe last weekend when my parents came over to visit me for the holidays. We ate it with some homemade sourdough and some salad on the side, and it was delicious. The perfect lunch for a cold winter day.
Because Russet potatoes were on sale, I ended up using those for this recipe. Typically, though, Yukon Gold potatoes are preferred because they have a more buttery texture and give the soup a beautiful yellow color. But with Russet potatoes being so cheap this week, I went with them instead, so my soup is a little more on the pale side. But the taste was still delicious.
Key Ingredients
Olive oil: For sauteeing the vegetables. You can also use butter, but these days, I prefer olive oil because it has less saturated fat. I also cannot really notice the difference, especially when we're adding heavy cream to the soup.
Leeks: You'll need 3 large leeks. Typically, grocery stores will sell these in a bundle, so just get a bundle of them.
Yukon Gold Potatoes: As I said earlier, Yukon Gold potatoes are the preferred potatoes for this soup because they have a buttery texture and give the soup a beautiful yellow color. That said, Russet potatoes will deliver a similar result in flavor but will be paler.
Vegetable stock: You can also use chicken stock if you're not a vegetarian.
Seasonings: Salt, black pepper, and dried thyme.
Heavy cream: For that creamy and luxurious texture.
Instructions
STEP 1: Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the leeks, and cook for 7-8 minutes until softened. I find the leeks tend to stick to the bottom of the pot, so I try to scrape them off and mix them around to prevent burning.
STEP 2: Add the potatoes, veggie stock, salt, black pepper, and thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low, cover with a lid, and cook for 20 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Remove from the heat.
STEP 3: Transfer to a blender in batches or use an immersion blender to blend the soup until smooth. Always start on low speed to prevent splashing. Stir in the heavy cream. Enjoy!
๐ Recipe
Creamy Potato Leek Soup
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 large leeks (cut in half and chopped)
- 2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes (peeled and cut into ยฝ inch cubes)
- 6 cups vegetable stock
- ยฝ teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
- ยฝ teaspoon black pepper (or more to taste)
- ยผ teaspoon dried thyme
- ยพ cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the leeks, and cook for 7-8 minutes until softened.
- Add the potatoes, veggie stock, salt, black pepper, and thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low, cover with a lid, and cook for 20 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Remove from the heat.
- Transfer to a blender in batches or use an immersion blender to blend the soup until smooth. Always start on low speed to prevent splashing. Stir in the heavy cream. Enjoy!
Leave a Reply