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:
- Melt the buttery spread over medium heat in a large saucepan.
- Add the leeks, salt, and pepper and cook, covered, over low heat for about 10 minutes.
- Be sure to check them often, as you absolutely don’t want to burn or caramelize them–it’ll make them bitter.
- Add the broth and potatoes.
- Bring to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes.
- Remove from heat and add the hot sauce (to taste), salt, freshly ground pepper, thyme, and parsley.
- 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
One thought on “Potato Leek Soup”
Potato-Leek soup is one of my favorites–wonderfully comforting. Thanks for sending it to Souper Sundays! The round-up is posted.
Aloha,
Deb