This potato leek soup is a classic for all occasions: it perfectly stands up on its own, can be accompanied with a fresh salad, or serve as a meal prep for your work-from-home lunches.
We love to make this soup year-round. In the winter months, we serve up a generous bowl of this comforting soup, light some tea candles, and cue up a campy cult classic film. This soup works for summer time too, between the tanginess of the leeks, sour cream, and the bright lemon juice. This one pot recipe is the perfect intersection between hearty and light.
Pro-tip: always save your parmesan rinds! The best hack around for potato soup (and also any broth-y or lemony soup) requires some thought beforehand, but we promise – it’s worth it. When you use up a block of parmesan, pop the rinds into a bag and store them in the fridge. Then, add the rinds to your soup broth while it cooks, and remove and discard it before blending or serving, like you would with a bay leaf. The nutty and bold flavors from the parmesan rinds will elevate your soup like no other.
If you don’t have any parmesan rinds this time, don’t worry. You can always top your soup with a generous serving of parmesan this time, and save your rinds for the next time – because this is a recipe to return to again and again.
Did we mention that this is a one pot meal?
First, prepare the garlic, leeks, and potatoes. Wash your leeks well, as sediment naturally finds its way between the leeks’ many layers. Slice your leeks in rounds, then in half circles, and rinse well. We like to use a salad spinner for this, first soaking the leeks in the outer bowl, then transferring to the inner colander bowl to rinse, and then spin.
Wash your potatoes well, because the potatoes will cook directly in the broth of the soup. The starches from the potato help make the soup creamy and delicious. We like to leave on the potato skins, especially since the soup will be pureed, but feel free to always choose your own adventure.
Saute the garlic and leeks in a large soup pot until soft. Add the potatoes, vegetable broth, bay leaves, thyme. Add your parmesan rind, if you have it. Bring the soup up to a full boil, then reduce and let the soup simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft and can be pierced all the way through with a fork. Try to stop the soup before the potatoes fall apart when pierced.
Get the soup ready to puree by removing and discarding the bay leaves and the parmesan rind. Use a handheld blender to puree the soup to your desired consistency. We like this soup best when it is mostly smooth and creamy, with a few bites of of vegetables here and there. If you don’t have a handheld blender to use, you can use a traditional blender, but make sure you work in batches.
Next, the sour cream, the sleeping star of this recipe. Unlike heavy whipping cream or half and half which is used in many soup recipes, sour cream brings out a complex tanginess and brightness. We have also used full fat greek yogurt in a pinch, and that works well (though spring for the sour cream if you have it). It is essential that you temper the sour cream first before adding it to the pot. Without doing so, the dairy will curdle when it gets mixed in the soup. Don’t worry – tempering is simple. Tempering is when you need to stabilize an ingredient by bringing up the temperature. In a prep bowl, add the sour cream, and then bring in one ladle of soup at a time, mixing together. When the sour cream is fully combined and warmed up by the soup, add into the pot.
Season with salt, pepper, a squeeze of lemon juice. Serve each bowl with red pepper flakes and a dollop of sour cream. This soup is best enjoyed with a side of crusty bread, like a baguette or sourdough boule.
One Pot Potato Leek Soup
Ingredients
- 4 leeks washed and sliced into thin half circles
- 4 gold potatoes medium
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 ½ to 2 tsp salt
- parmesan rind optional, see notes
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup sour cream
- ½ lemon
- shredded parmesan flakes for serving
Instructions
- Prepare produce: Thinly slice garlic. Cut leeks into thin half circles, using the whites and light greens of the leeks and discarding the dark greens. Thoroughly wash leeks by soaking and rinsing in a bowl. Peel and dice potatoes into ½ inch pieces.
- Add oil to a large pot on the stove on medium heat. Add garlic to the pot and cook for 1 minute. Add rinsed and drained leeks and 1 tsp salt. Saute leeks until soft, and mostly transparent, about 15 minutes.
- Add potatoes, vegetable broth, bay leaves, thyme, and optional parmesan rind. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer until potatoes are soft, about 15-20 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Take out the parmesan rind and bay leaves and discard. Using a handheld immersion blender, blend the soup until the soup is smooth. Alternatively, you could use a traditional blender to puree the soup in batches.
- Temper and add the sour cream: add the sour cream to a bowl. Add in one ladle full of soup and combine, allowing the sour cream to adjust to the hot temperature of the soup. Add tempered sour cream into the pot. Season with salt to taste, about ½ to 1 tsp, depending on the saltiness of the broth you used. Finally, add a squeeze of lemon juice and black pepper to the pot.
- Serve with fresh ground pepper, a sprinkle of red pepper flakes, and a dollop of sour cream.
