Cream of Leek and Potato Soup

Name: Cream of Leek and Potato Soup
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h 5 min
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Ingredients: 3 TBS butter; 1 teaspoon olive oil; 4 leeks (use only the white parts and if they are small, use 6 leeks); 6-8 medium potatoes (I use russet potatoes); 1 small onion – diced; 1 quart chicken broth; 1 teaspoon salt; 2 cups light cream or milk (I use half n half); 4 slices of bacon – cooked and diced

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Curl up with a hot bowl of soup loaded with creamy potatoes and leeks topped with cheese and bacon. This hearty soup is made on the stove-top and ready in an hour. It’s hearty, hot, and delicious.

A bowl of soup topped with cheese and bacon

My Personal Story About This Soup

I was rummaging through my old recipe books last week and I found a folded piece of paper with the recipe for Cream of Leek and Potato Soup. Across the top of the page, I had written the word “Wonderful”. As I began to read through the notes it brought back great memories of how I actually got this recipe.

The recipe for Cream of Leek Potato Soup was given to me many years ago by Chef Jose at the Marriott on Cicero Avenue in Chicago – directly across the street from the Midway Airport. A colleague and I were traveling to a business meeting and we had an early morning flight out of Midway so we stayed at the Marriot the evening before. It was a working dinner for us that night; we had both of our laptops open and were deep in planning conversation when the young waiter approached us and suggested that we try the Chef’s special soup.

One bite and I was head over heels for this smooth, creamy soup with just a hint of light onion flavor. Right away, I asked the waiter to ask the Chef if he would share his recipe with me because I just had to make it for my husband. His response was that the Chef was not in that evening but I could email him and ask. And that’s just what I did. I’ve made a couple of adaptations over the years but it’s just as good as I remember.

Potato Leek Soup Ingredients

Cookie sheet with the ingredients needed to make potato leek soup

Potatoes – I recommend using a starchy potato for this recipe. I like Yukon Gold potatoes because of their slightly sweet taste and the creamy texture once they are cooked.

Leeks – When buying leeks, choose firm leeks that feel heavy when you lift them. Select leeks that have more white and light green colored stocks.

Cream or Half-N-Half – I prefer to use half-n-half in this recipe, but you can always substitute it with cream or even whole milk.

Fresh Thyme (not pictured) – Fresh herbs are optional in this recipe. But I love the flavor of fresh thyme with potatoes so I added a few thyme springs when I served it.

Let’s Make The Soup

Peel the potatoes to a medium-diced size.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and boil them for 8 minutes, until they are tender but not falling apart.
While the potatoes are cooking slice and clean the leaks. Gently peel off any loose leaves from the leek stalks. Slice them thin and place them in a bowl of water for 5 minutes. Any dirt from the garden will sink to the bottom of the bowl. Scoop out the sliced leeks and dry them on a paper towel.
In a dutch oven or large soup pot, add butter and olive oil.
Cut bacon into small pieces.
Add the bacon to the soup pot with the heated butter and oil, and cook until it’s golden brown and crispy.
Add the sliced leeks and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add the chicken broth and cooked potatoes to the pot.
Bring it to a boil; then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 35-45 minutes.
Add the salt and pepper.

Collage showing first four step to make potato leek soup

Add the half-n-half and simmer for another 15 minutes.
Place the entire soup mixture into a blender and blend, leaving a little bit of chunky texture. Or you can use an Immersion blender to blend the soup right in the soup pot.
Pour the soup back into to pot. Taste, add salt and pepper as needed.
Serve with fresh herbs, shredded cheddar, and bacon.

photo of the final steps to make potato leek soup

Frequently Asked Questions

What exactly are leeks?

Leeks are a vegetable that come from the onion family. I think they look live overgrown scallions.

What do leeks taste like?

They taste life a very mild, slightly sweet, delicate onion. The edible part of the leek is the white and light green part. You can eat them raw, although I’ve never tried. They are used mostly for cooking soups, stew, and casserole dishes.

What other toppings can I use on this soup?

You can be very creative with soup toppings. Some of my favorites are pop corn, a dollop of sour cream or yogurt, grilled corn kernels, crackers, croutons, and more bacon of course!

Krazy Kitchen Mom Tips

When you cut the potatoes, try to keep them a similar size so that they cook evenly. This tip is not just for this recipe, but any time you are cutting ingredients that you are going to use in cooking.
To make the soup extra smooth and creamy, blend it until it is fully creamy without any chunky texture.
Serve this soup with a small salad or 1/2 sandwich and it’s a full hearty, cozy, comforting meal.

close up overhead shot of potato soup on a plate with a spoon. Soup is topped with cheese, bacon and fresh thyme

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Curl up with a hot bowl of soup loaded with creamy potatoes and leeks topped with cheese and bacon. This hearty soup is made on the stove-top and ready in an hour. It is hearty, hot, and delicious.

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Servings: servings

Author: Laura Franco

Ingredients

3 tbsp butter
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 slices bacon
4 leeks
6-8 medium-sized potatoes
1 quart chicken broth
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp black pepper
2 cups half-n-half
Garnishes – shredded cheddar, crumbled bacon, fresh thyme

Instructions

Peel the potatoes to a medium-diced size.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and boil them for 8 minutes, until they are tender but not falling apart.
While the potatoes are cooking slice and clean the leaks. Gently peel off any loose leaves from the leek stalks. Slice them thin and place them in a bowl of water for 5 minutes. Any dirt from the garden will sink to the bottom of the bowl.
Scoop out the sliced leeks and dry them on a paper towel.
In a dutch oven or large soup pot, add butter and olive oil.
Cut bacon into small pieces.
Add the bacon to the soup pot with the heated butter and oil, and cook until it's golden brown and crispy.
Add the sliced leeks and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add the chicken broth and cooked potatoes to the pot.
Bring it to a boil; then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 35-45 minutes.
Add the salt and pepper.
Add the half-n-half and simmer for another 15 minutes.
Place the entire soup mixture into a blender and blend, leaving a little bit of chunky texture. Or you can use an Immersion blender to blend the soup right in the soup pot.
Pour the soup back into to pot. Taste, add salt and pepper as needed.
Serve with fresh herbs, shredded cheddar, and bacon.

Notes

When you cut the potatoes, try to keep them a similar size so that they cook evenly. This tip is not just for this recipe, but any time you are cutting ingredients that you are going to use in cooking.
To make the soup extra smooth and creamy, blend it until it is fully creamy without any chunky texture.
Serve this soup with a small salad or 1/2 sandwich and it’s a full hearty, cozy, comforting meal.