Nothing beats a warm bowl of hearty soup on a cold day, and when you’re short on ingredients and need to fill hungry tummies, this leek and potato soup recipe is a lifesaver. With its hearty and comforting flavours, this soup is bound to become a family favourite that you’ll be making time and time again.
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Economical leek and potato soup
This leek and potato soup has always been my standby recipe back in the day when money was tight and I had three hungry mouths to feed.
It’s made with a few potatoes, leeks and onions that always seem to end up at the bottom of the vegetable basket, and very little else to be honest. But in spite of the few ingredients, this leek and potato soup has the most amazing flavour which wouldn’t be out of place in a restaurant!
In addition to the vegetables, all you will need is a stock cube and a cup of milk, a knob of butter along with some salt and pepper for seasoning, and you can have this hearty and tasty soup on the table in no time at all.
If you’ve got carrots or celery and a little leftover shredded ham, you can throw those in too, but you can get away with just using leeks, potatoes and onions.
And if you are feeling flush you can add a dollop of creme fraiche and a sprinkling of chopped chives or parsley for garnish. If you only have a piece of hard cheddar, grate that up and garnish the potato soup with that, or just serve it plain.
The beauty of potato and leek soup is that you can adjust the ingredients to use up whatever you have in your cupboard. Don’t have butter? No problem, substitute it with margarine or even sunflower oil. Don’t have milk? Well then, just add extra stock. If you have half a tub of cream cheese that needs to be used up, stir that in as well – it all adds to the flavour.
I like to serve leek and potato soup with a crusty baguette, but if you only have a few slices of stale bread, pop them in the toaster and serve those instead. They will taste just as good.
I’m giving you the basic recipe for the soup, but you can adjust it according to what you have on hand.
Let me show you how easy it is to make!
What you will need
Equipment
For making the soup you will need a large saucepan with a lid, and for blending the soup you will need a stick-blender.
Other than that, you will need a sharp knife and a chopping board for cutting up the vegetables.
Ingredients
This recipe will serve 4 people. You can adjust the quantities to suit your own family.
**You can get the complete list of ingredients and full instructions for making this potato and leek soup on the printable recipe card at the end of this post**
Potatoes – the potatoes should be peeled and cut into quarters.
Leeks – wash the leeks to remove any grit that may be in between the leaves, then cut them in half lengthwise and slice them into half-inch wide semicircles.
Onions – the onions should be peeled and cut into quarters.
Stock pots – I used 1 chicken and 2 vegetable stock pots. If you don’t have stock pots you can use a stock cube instead. And of course, if you have fresh stock (either chicken or vegetable) available you can use that instead.
Milk – I used 1 cup of milk. You can substitute with fresh single cream for a richer taste.
Butter – this is used for softening the vegetables – substitute with margarine or sunflower oil.
Salt and black pepper – for seasoning
For garnishing the soup you can use chopped parsley or chives, and a spoonful of creme fraiche. These are optional.
What to do
Melt the butter in a large saucepan, then add the chopped vegetables.
Saute them over a low heat for about 5 minutes until the leeks and onions start to soften.
I forgot to take photos of the next steps I’m afraid – you’ll have to use your imagination.
- Dissolve the stock pots or stock cubes in 4 cups (2 pints) of boiling water and pour it into the pan along with the milk and the salt and pepper.
- Cover the pan with a lid and bring the heat to a strong simmer (just below boiling). Cook for 30 to 40 minutes until the vegetables are completely soft.
Use a stick blender to blend the soup until it is thick and smooth. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. I find this soup benefits from lots of ground black pepper – but that’s to my taste!
If you are adding shredded ham, stir it in now and leave the soup on the heat until the ham has warmed through.
Ladle the soup into bowls, garnish with a spoonful of creme fraiche and chopped chives or parsley and serve hot with crusty bread.
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Potato and leek soup FAQ
This soup can be frozen for up to 3 months (or 4 months if you’ve made it without the ham). Allow the soup to come to room temperature and then ladle it into suitable freezer containers.
To use, defrost and then reheat it in a saucepan on the stove until piping hot. It can also be defrosted and reheated in the microwave.
Here are a few ways of changing the flavour profile of this soup:
– fry a few pieces of chopped bacon before you fry the vegetables. Then add the vegetables and continue with the recipe.
– try adding different vegetables such as carrots, parsnips, swedes or celery.
– once the soup has been blended, stir in a handful of grated cheese or 2 tablespoons of cream cheese.
If you want to make this soup as a vegetarian option, omit the ham and use all vegetable stock rather than chicken stock.
You can safely store this soup in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat it in a saucepan or in the microwave until piping hot.
Potato and leek soup is said to have originated in France in the late 18th century, having been developed by a French pharmacist Antoine-Augustin Parmentier. Up until then, potatoes had been regarded as only being fit for pig food and were thought to cause leprosy in humans. Apart from promoting potatoes as a food source in France and Europe, Parmentier is also remembered for establishing the first smallpox vaccination campaign under Napoleon’s rule. He also studied methods of conserving food, including refrigeration.
Save for later
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Other recipes
If you enjoyed this recipe, you may also like to try some of my other soup recipes:
- Beef vegetable winter soup – handed down to me more than 50 years ago by my mother-in-law, this soup is crammed with tender beef and lots of root vegetables, celery, leeks and tomatoes.
- Meatball soup – juicy meatballs in a delicious vegetable and tomato soup. Comfort food doesn’t get much better than this.
- Thick split pea and ham hock soup – use up any leftover ham hocks to make this deliciously thick pea soup.
- Beef minestrone soup – a hearty tomato-based soup packed with succulent beef, tender noodles and nutritious vegetables.
The recipe
Potato and leek soup
(Click the stars to rate this recipe)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 medium potatoes
- 2 large leeks
- 2 meciuim onions
- 1 cup shredded leftover ham optional
- 2 pints / 1 litre vegetable/chicken stock made with stock cubes or stock pots dissolved in water
- 1 cup / 240 ml milk
- 1 ounce / 30 grams butter or margarine or sunflower oil
- 1 small bunch fresh parsley or chives for garnish
- 4 teaspoons creme fraiche for garnish
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Peel the potatoes and cut them into quarters or large chunks.4 medium potatoes
- Wash the leeks, cut them lengthwise and slice them into ½-inch semi-circles.2 large leeks
- Peel the onions and cut them into quarters.2 meciuim onions
- Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the chopped vegetables. Saute them over a low heat, stirring occasionally until the leeks and onions start to soften. This should take about 5 minutes.1 ounce / 30 grams butter
- Dissolve the stock pots or stock cubes in 4 cups (2 pints) of boiling water and pour it into the pan along with the milk and the salt and pepper.2 pints / 1 litre vegetable/chicken stock, 1 cup / 240 ml milk, Salt and black pepper
- Cover the pan with a lid and bring the heat to a strong simmer (just below boiling). Cook for 30 to 40 minutes until the vegetables are completely soft.
- Use a stick blender to blend the soup until it is thick and smooth. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary!
- If you are adding shredded ham, stir it in now and leave the soup on the heat until the ham has warmed through.1 cup shredded leftover ham
- Ladle the soup into bowls, garnish with a spoonful of creme fraiche and chopped chives or parsley and serve hot with crusty bread.1 small bunch fresh parsley or chives, 4 teaspoons creme fraiche
Notes
To use, defrost and then reheat it in a saucepan on the stove until piping hot. It can also be defrosted and reheated in the microwave. You can safely store this soup in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat it in a saucepan or in the microwave until piping hot. If you want to make this soup as a vegetarian option, omit the ham and use all vegetable stock rather than chicken stock. Here are a few ways of changing the flavour profile of this soup:
- fry a few pieces of chopped bacon before you fry the vegetables. Then add the vegetables and continue with the recipe.
- try adding different vegetables such as carrots, parsnips, swedes or celery.
- once the soup has been blended, stir in a handful of grated cheese or 2 tablespoons of cream cheese.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.
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