Creamy Leek and Potato Soup

I've said it again and again, sometimes the most simple of ingredients turn into the most delicious creations in the kitchen.  And that's exactly the case with this creamy leek and potato soup.  Wow, it tastes amazing - let me show you how easy it is to make.

To clean the leeks, start by cutting off the dark green leafy tops.  I'll freeze them for now and the next time I make my amazingly delicious homemade chicken stock, I'll toss them in.

Okay, cut the leeks in half lengthwise, keeping the root end in tact.  Rinse the leafy petals under running water to remove any dirt.  Because leeks grow straight up out of the soil, dirt and sand get stuck between those leaves.  

After the dirt is rinsed away, trim the root end away and cut each half in half lengthwise again.  Then cut across down the length of the leek until you have a whole bunch of chopped leeks ready to go in the soup pot. 

Alright then, to make the soup, simply saute the lovely leeks in a bit of butter until they caramelize a bit.

This is where I wish you could take a whiff.  It smells so good!!!!

But we're not done yet - it's time to add the potatoes.

Followed by some chicken stock, salt, and pepper.  Than simmer until the potatoes are tender. Seriously though, try my homemade chicken stock if at all possible.  It's so easy to make, but you can certainly use store bought stock of you don't have the time to make your own. 

That reminds me, I like to keep this stuff in the fridge for rare occasions when I don't have any homemade stock in the freezer.  I think it tastes better than cans or cartons of stock you can get at the grocery store, and it doesn't take up much room so it's easy to store.

Okay, back to the soup - once the potatoes are tender, you pour everything into a blender and puree  (I can't even begin to tell you how much I love my Vitamix).  Be careful though, you never want to over process anything that contains potatoes because they can become "gummy" or "gluey" when overworked.  Also, don't fill your blender more than 1/2 full because warm ingredients expand in the blender and you don't need green goo on your ceiling.  Of, you can simplify things and just use one of these.

Stir in a little sour cream, sprinkle on a few chopped chives, and dig in!

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• vitamix https://amzn.to/3g9VIUs

• dutch oven https://amzn.to/34i4pJt

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Creamy Leek and Potato Soup

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoon unsalted butter

• 1 pound leeks, cleaned, trimmed, and chopped (about 3 cups chopped)

• 1 pound red or yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch dice

• 4 cups chicken stock

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1/2 cup sour cream (optional)

• chopped chives for garnis

Directions

1. In a heavy bottomed pan over medium high heat, caramelize the leeks in butter.

2. Add potatoes, chicken stock, salt, and pepper.

3. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer; simmer until potatoes are tender.

4. Remove from heat and puree soup until smooth, being careful not to overwork the potatoes (which can make them "gummy or gluey".

5. Stir in sour cream if desired.

6. Garnish with chives.

Better than OG's Zuppa Toscana (Hearty Tuscan Soup)

It's that crazy time of the year when the weather doesn't quite know if it should be warm or cold.  Perfect soup weather - not that I need cold weather to enjoy soup, but it does seem a bit more appropriate when there's a chill in the air.   

A dear friend recently had surgery so I volunteered to bring her dinner.  She and I occasionally have lunch together and every time we've eaten at Olive Garden, she's ordered the Zuppa Toscana.  I’ve had it once or twice, and think it’s ok, but it’s so watery. I knew I could come up with a much heartier version.  

The verdict, I received an email saying they loved the soup and one family member proclaimed it the best soup she'd ever had.  I don't know about that, but who am I to argue?  

Start with sweet Italian sausage (although hot sausage works equally well if that’s what you like).  I bought links and removed the casings.

Break up the sausage as it cooks.  This awesome tool works so well for breaking up clumps of ground beef, turkey, and sausage.

The sausage is done when no traces of pink remain.

Remove the cooked sausage from the pan, leaving the rendered fat in the pan.

In the same pan, saute the onions (and garlic if using) in the rendered sausage fat.

When the onions are translucent, add the potatoes.  I cut my potatoes into small pieces so they'd cook fast, but you can leave them in larger slices like the restaurant does if you prefer.  I forgot to add my carrots at this point (you'll see my fix for that later, but you can add them now).

Return the sausage to the pan and add the chicken stock and bacon (regular or turkey bacon).  Simmer until the potatoes are tender.

When the potatoes are tender, add the chopped kale.

The kale will wilt down quite a bit.

This is where I realized that I had forgotten to add the carrots earlier so I put them in a microwave safe container, with a little of the chicken stock from the pan, and I cooked them for a few minutes to soften before adding them to the soup.  That little bit of extra color adds so much!

Just before serving, stir in the heavy cream and chopped fresh parsley.

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How good does that look?  Don't forget to taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper if needed.  Enjoy!

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• meat chopper thingy https://amzn.to/3sSr3kz

• enameled cast iron braiser https://amzn.to/3fp5BAU

• my favorite knife https://amzn.to/34n8zju

• the world's best vegetable peeler! (not good for lefties) https://amzn.to/3r8ZhQQ

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Hearty Tuscan Soup (Zuppa Toscana)

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage

• 1 large yellow onion, peeled and diced

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 pound russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch slices (or dice if you need them to cook faster)

• 2 large carrots, peeled and minced

• 1/2 cup chopped cooked bacon

• 5 cups chicken broth (homemade is best - try my easy recipe here)

• 3 cups chopped kale (no stems)

• 1 cup heavy cream

• salt and pepper to taste

• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

• optional: 28 ounces canned cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

Directions

1. Remove sausage from casing if purchased in link form.

2. In a large pan, heat oil and brown sausage until cooked through, breaking up large clumps as you go; remove from pan and reserve.

3. In same pan, saute onions in the rendered sausage fat until translucent; add the garlic and sauté 30 seconds more.

4. Add potatoes, carrots, sausage, bacon, and chicken broth; simmer over medium heat for 20-30 minutes or until carrots and potatoes are tender.

5. Add chopped kale; simmer for another 10 minutes.

6. Stir in heavy cream and adjust salt and pepper if needed.

7. Stir in chopped parsley and optional cannellini beans just before serving.

Note

• For an even more hearty version, add a can or two of rinsed and drained cannellini beans about 5 minutes before serving.