Winter refuses to let go. We were blessed with a couple weeks of beautiful warm weather but now we are having one last blast of winter. It still feels like winter here in Northern California. Rain and more rain in the forecast for the next couple days. Not complaining, we can always use the water!!!
I didn’t think I would be making soup again until the fall but I’m happy we got this one last blast of cold weather so I could say goodbye to winter with this easy to make delicious soup. It’s one of our favorites!
Gather together all the ingredients.
I always make this soup in my slow cooker, but because we are staying home I made this on the stovetop. It cooks up a bit quicker and I could keep an eye on it as it simmered away on the stovetop.
Confession, ok, I forgot to get it going in the slow cooker earlier in the day so I had to make it on the stove top instead. That’s one of the nice things about this recipe, its versatility! You can make it on the stove top or in your slow cooker; whatever works best with your busy life.
Once the pot is hot, add the diced bacon and cook until the bacon renders it’s fat.
While the bacon is going, prepare the leeks. Cut off the tough green parts and roots. Wash them under cold running water to remove any dirt or grit.
Cut the leeks lengthwise into quarters, then cut them into 1/4 inch pieces.
Add the leeks to the pan with the bacon and sauté until they are soft, about 10 minutes.
While the bacon and leeks are cooking, peel and dice potatoes into 1 inch chunks. Set aside.
When leeks are soft, add 2-4 cloves of minced garlic. Stir and cook until fragrant 1-2 minutes.
Add diced potatoes and a carton of chicken broth to the pot. Turn up the heat to medium high and get the broth simmering, stirring occasionally.
Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Stir to combine.
Once soup comes to a simmer, reduce heat and cover the pot. Allow the soup to simmer over low heat for 45-60 minutes or until the potatoes are nice and soft.
Slow cooker preparation: Transfer cooked bacon, leeks and garlic to a slow cooker. Add potatoes, salt, pepper, and chicken broth. Cook on low for 8-9 hours or on high for 3-4 hours, until potatoes are soft.
Potatoes are done when you can easily smash them up against the side of the pot with the back of a wooden spoon.
Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until it is nice and thick and smooth.
Use care when blending hot liquid!!!
Add more chicken broth or some white wine if soup seems too thick and stir until you achieve the desired consistency.
Serve with a dollop of sour cream, a sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese and chopped green onions or chives.
This soup comes together easily. Whether you decide to make it on the stovetop or in your slow cooker you will love this rich, thick and creamy soup.
Delicious served with a loaf of freshly baked bread or some soft as air dinner rolls to round out the meal. Try any one of these recipes; they would all be delicious with this soup!
Become the envy of your family and friends when you bake up this easy to make loaf of bread. An easy no knead recipe that is out of this world delicious ands you will wonder why you haven’t been baking bread all your life! This is the recipe that started me on my bread baking journey. A great place to start if you are just starting out on your own bread baking journey!
If you have a hankering for a softer, fluffier more tender side, these rolls are just the ticket! They bake up fluffy and are mouthwateringly delicious slathered with loads of soft butter!!!!
For those of you that are a bit more adventurous and have been baking bread for a while, this recipe for sour dough bread is a pleaser. It uses a sourdough starter instead of yeast. This loaf takes some time and planning to make, but you will be rewarded with a lovely loaf at the end!
Give this simple meal a try, you are going to want to mop up every last drop of it’s tasty goodness with your bread.
Let me know if you give this one a try. I think you will love how easy it is to prepare and how delicious it is!
ENJOY!
Potato Leek Soup
Equipment
- Emersion blender
Ingredients
- ¼ lb bacon, cut into ½ inch pieces
- 3 leeks, white part only
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 lbs potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 32 oz carton chicken broth
- salt & pepper, to taste
- sour cream, optional to serve
- sliced green onions, optional to serve
- grated Parmesan cheese, optional to serve
Instructions
- Heat a large dutch oven or other large pot over medium heat.
- Add bacon pieces and cook unitl bacon renders its fat.
- While bacon is cooking, wash and cut up leeks. Discard tough green part and cut white part lengthwise into quarters, then cut into ¼ inch pieces.
- Add leeks to the pot and cook until they soften, about 7-8 minutes.
- While leeks are cooking, peel and dice potatoes into 1 inch sized chunks.
- Once leeks are tender, add minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add potatoes and chicken broth to the pot. Increase heat to medium high and bring mixture to a boil.
- Add ¼ teaspoon pepper and ½ teaspoon salt. Stir to combine.
- Once broth comes to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low.
- Simmer soup over low heat stirring occasionally, until potatoes are soft, about 45 – 60 minutes.
- Once potatoes are soft, use an emmersion blender to carefully blend soup until thick and smooth.
- Add additional chicken broth or a little white wine to thin soup if it's too thick.
- Taste and add salt & pepper as needed to taste.
- Serve with a dollop of sour cream, a sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese and chopped green onions.
Did You Make This?
Snap a pic and hashtag it #naturewayblog — I love to see your creations! Don’t forget to comment and leave a review, or tag me on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter!
May I ask a small favor? If you enjoyed this blogpost would you be so kind and like the page? It lets me know what you are enjoying the most. It also helps me focus my attention on creating content that will be most meaningful and beneficial for you, my readers. And don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss out on all the latest that’s happening here at Nature Way. Thank you!
This looks and sound absolutely delicious! Love all your ideas!