Potato Leek Soup

I saw leeks on sale last week as we had that lovely snap of cool weather and I knew I had to buy some and make soup.  I had thought to make cock-a-leekie soup (one of my favorites from when I lived across the pond in Edinburgh), but I’ve had too much going on to deal with the chicken for that one.  Potato leek soup is a low cal, low fat, fabulous alternative that comes together in under an hour.  In search of a good recipe, of course I turned to Elise at Simply Recipes because she has simply fabulous taste.  This soup is a minor variation on her recipe.

Ingredients:

  • 3 large leeks, cut lengthwise, separate, clean. Use only the white and pale green parts, chop.
  • 3 Tbsp Smart Balance buttery spread (she calls for 2 Tbsp butter, but we’ve talked about how I can’t keep it in the house due to my cookie dough addiction)
  • 4 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarian option) [Elise used 2 cups broth, 2 cups water but since I wasn’t using real butter, I thought the extra flavor from the broth would be good]
  • 2 lbs potatoes, diced into 1/2 inch pieces (she peeled hers, I like the peel of my thin skinned red potatoes)
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • I left out the dash of Marjoram
  • Tabasco sauce
  • Salt & Pepper

Directions:

  1. Melt the buttery spread over medium heat in a large saucepan.
  2. Add the leeks, salt, and pepper and cook, covered, over low heat for about 10 minutes.
  3. Be sure to check them often, as you absolutely don’t want to burn or caramelize them–it’ll make them bitter.
  4. Add the broth and potatoes.
  5. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes.
  6. Remove from heat and add the hot sauce (to taste), salt, freshly ground pepper, thyme, and parsley.
  7. Using an immersion blender pulse until the biggest chunks of potatoes are pulverized.  If you don’t have an immersion blender, take about half the soup and ladle it into a blender or food processor (careful, it’s hot!) and blend until smooth, then add back to the pot.

Serves 4-6

Printable version.

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