Leek and Potato Soup

By: Deborah

This easy leek and potato soup is creamy, comforting, and packed with flavour. Perfect for a cosy lunch or light dinner, and great for meal prep!

PREP: 15

COOK: 30

TOTAL: 45

Course: Lunch, Soup, Starter

Cuisine: British

Servings: 8 people

a knob of butter
155 g (5.5 oz) unsmoked bacon lardons (see Notes)
1 kg (2.2 lb) leeks cut into approx. 0.5cm slices and rinsed to remove any hidden dirt
4 medium potatoes (approx. 700g) peeled and cut into approx. 2.5cm cubes
1.2 litres (5 cups) vegetable stock (made using 2 stock cubes or pots)
2 bay leaves
0.5 tsp salt
0.25 tsp freshly ground black pepper
300 ml (1 ¼ cups) milk (I use semi-skimmed)

See Notes if you'd like to make homemade croutons for topping the soup with.
Melt the butter in a large soup or casserole pot (I use our 24cm casserole pot) and add the bacon lardons. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes until the bacon starts to colour.
Add the leeks and potatoes and stir round to coat in the butter and bacon.
Add the stock, bay leaves, salt and pepper, and bring to the boil. Simmer for 15 minutes, covered slightly with the pan lid, until the vegetables are cooked through.
Remove the pan from the heat and discard the bay leaves. Using a stick blender, blend until smooth and return to the heat. Add in the milk and add any extra seasoning, to taste. (Note: this soup can end up quite thick, so just dilute slightly with hot water to get your desired consistency.)

Bacon lardons - if you can't get lardons, use unsmoked streaky or back bacon instead - chop up 8 rashers of streaky or 4 to 6 rashers of back bacon. Leave out the bacon for a vegetarian version.

Dairy-free option - use olive oil instead of butter, and oat, almond or coconut milk instead of semi-skimmed milk.

Low-carb option - swap the potatoes for cauliflower to reduce carbs while keeping the creamy texture.

Toppings - try topping with grated cheese or croutons. If you want to make your own croutons, preheat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7, then cut 3 slices of white bread into approx. 1.5cm cubes. Put the bread cubes into a bowl, then add 3 tbsp rapeseed oil and a sprinkle of sea salt flakes. Mix well, then spread the bread cubes out into an even layer on a baking tray and bake in the oven for 10 minutes until golden, turning halfway through. Any leftover croutons will keep in an airtight container for a couple of days for you to enjoy with the rest of the soup.

Alternative soup texture - if you prefer a chunky soup, keep some of the diced potatoes whole, rather than blending everything.

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

KEYWORDS comfort food, easy leek and potato soup recipe, winter warmer

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