Ladle Love: Wholesome Potato Leek Soup Recipe

Discover the Cozy Comfort of Homemade Potato and Leek Soup

The colder the weather, the more likely we are to have soup on the table for lunch or dinner. We're sure you've heard it before, but we always do seem to transition to soup as a staple around November.

There are a great many types of soups to choose from, so we rarely feel bored with them. This one is hearty and heavy and sneaks in some veggies. Feel free to use it as a sauce over some grilled chicken if you prefer a larger portion of protein. As the recipe is here, if divided into eight servings, each serving will have just under five grams of protein. Anyone on a higher protein diet should make some tweaks.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon marjoram

2 tablespoons thyme

1 tablespoon parsley

cracked black pepper to taste

2 leeks, white only

4 cups chicken broth

1 cup instant potatoes

1 cup half and half or whole milk

Tools

large, heavy-bottomed pot

measuring cups and spoons

spoon or ladle

knife

cutting board

blender

As always, begin by washing the veggies! Those leeks will harbor a lot of hidden dirt, so a surface wash isn't going to do the trick. Definitely give it a surface wash anyway, then grab your cutting board and knife.

Since we're only using the white part of the leek here, go ahead and trim off the leafy part. You can save it to make some soup stock later, or (if you're less soup-obsessed than we are) you can just toss it. Once the leafy part is removed, trim off the root end and make a lengthwise cut up the length of the leek. You don't have to cut all the way through; we only normally cut to about the halfway point. The goal is to create some space to fan the layers enough to let water flow through. Then just hold your leek under cool running water until you've rinsed out all the layers. You can give it a little squeeze if you think it's holding on to some water. Repeat with the second leek.

Return to the cutting board and get chopping. We usually just target quarter inch thin rounds, but it really doesn't matter how you cut your leeks. They'll just be going into the blender later.

While you work on the leeks, pour your olive oil into the heavy bottomed pot and add your dried spices. Let them simmer in the oil on low heat for a few minutes while you chop.

Once the leeks have been chopped, give them a quick once-over looking for any dirt you missed. If you find anything, there's a good chance there's more than you see at the moment. It's safest to just toss the cut leeks into a colander and run them under the tap one more time. Dirt will really ruin dinner, so definitely double check before moving on.

After you're sure there isn't any dirt left, go ahead and add the leeks to the pan. Let them saute with the oil and spices for five minutes. 

Once your five minutes are up, cover the leeks with the chicken broth, give it all a stir, and let them simmer for another 15 to 20 minutes. Feel free to find another quick task to take care of. Soup is forgiving like that.

The next step will be to remove the pot from the heat. Let it cool off for about ten minutes. Putting really hot things into a blender is a recipe for disaster, so do not skip this step or try to hurry it along.

After your short cool down is finished, pour the leeks and broth into the blender. Make sure you get all the leek pieces out of the pot and into the blender. Put the lid in place and hit puree, or whatever similar function your blender has. Let it whirl until you're sure the big chunks are broken down. If you started with larger pieces of leek, this step may take a little longer - but with quarter inch slices, we ran the blender for a minute and a half.

Empty the blender back into the pot, and turn the heat on as low as it will go. Measure your instant potato flakes and add them slowly to the pot, stirring them in as you go. You'll get a pasty consistency once they're all added, but don't worry; there's one more step.

As the soup comes up to heat again, stir in the milk or half and half. We used one cup here, but if you'd prefer your soup be a little thinner, feel free to add more, or to give it some additional chicken broth. Again, soups are forgiving. Do what you will.

Serve it in a crock with some cheese melted on top like a French onion soup, serve a shallow bowl with breadsticks or toast, pour it over a protein, keep it as a side for dunking vegetable sticks...

Now, if you find yourself in a situation where your trusty kitchen appliances are in need of a little magic, just like the enchantment we bring to your recipes, remember that our expert repair technicians at Appliance Rescue Service are here to ensure your appliances continue to work like a charm. You can reach out to us at our website or by giving us a call at ((214) 599-0055). A glitch in your kitchen tools doesn't have to cast a shadow on your culinary adventures. Reach out to us, and we'll have your appliances humming smoothly once more, ensuring your soup-making endeavors remain effortless and the flavors of your creations truly enchanting. Wishing you many warm and delightful soup-filled days ahead! 

Additional Reading

Lazy Weekend Mushroom Pie

Sausage Bread to Get You Rolling 

Jalapeno Chicken Bowtie Pasta

Warm enough to get you through winter, hearty enough to keep you healthy in spring.

We’re well into the coldest part of winter, getting hammered from all sides with cold weather and we need something to warm up! This week’s recipe is a great recipe if you’re fighting off a cold or are just sick of the cold. It’s got the same basics as a good chicken noodle soup with some extra added kick to it. 

Ingredients: 

1 medium yellow onion

3 large carrots

3 celery stalks 

salt and pepper

3 garlic cloves 

2 Tbsp butter

3 chicken breasts

1 pt of heavy cream

1 bay leaf

Fresh parsley

1 tsp of thyme 

chicken bullion 

1 lb bowtie pasta 

jalapeno slices 

Tools: Two large pots, a blender or food processor, a cutting board, slotted spoons and a few bowls 

Recipe: 

To get us started, grab a paper towel and wet it with cold water in your sink. Lay it next to your cutting board, and then grab your onion. Chop the onion into large quarters, remove the outer skin, and be amazed that your eyes aren't watering, thanks to the paper towel. Does it sound weird? yes. Does it work? Also yes. This is a trick we use all the time in our own kitchens for the ARS staff. Put the onions aside into a large bowl, and take up your carrots. You can choose to skin them, or just give them a quick scrub, it's up to you. Once you've prepped them, go ahead and give your carrots a few rough chops, breaking them down into thirds.  Do the same with your celery in terms of prep, and make sure not to leave any of the leaves on. 

Go ahead and turn your stove on high and place your large pot on the stove, tossing in 2 Tbsp of butter. Let that melt down, and then add salt and fresh cracked pepper to the pan. While that's going, take your garlic cloves, nip off the top, bottom, and the skins, and then quickly mince them. Toss that into the pan, and stir until the garlic is aromatic. At that point, add in your onion, carrots and celery, turn the heat down to medium, and let it sit. You're going to let the vegetables simmer for 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes, to allow them to start softening and cooking. 

Once your onions are halfway to translucent, fill the pot with water and add in the chicken. Cook until the chicken is cooked through and the water has reduced by half. 

Turn the burner off and grab two different bowls. One bowl is just for the chicken. The second bowl is for all of the vegetables. Take up your slotted spoon and remove all of the vegetables from the stock. Make sure to lose as little stock as possible, as it's the base for the sauce.  From here, grab your blender or food processor and pour in your vegetables. You might have to do this in batches, you might not. Either way, add about 1/2 cup of stock to the blender, just to make it easier, and set the machine to chop. Once you've got the vegetables much smaller, you can switch over to blend and let the machine work until you have a smooth puree. Pour your puree back into the pot, and return the pot to medium heat. 

Pour 1 pint of heavy cream into the pot, give it a stir, and taste. This is the stage to add spices in. Add in 1 bay leaf, a few sprigs of fresh parsley, and 1 tsp of thyme. Give that a stir and let it bubble for a few minutes, then taste. At this point, we realized we needed more chicken and add in 1 tablespoon of chicken bullion, but you might not. Let the pot continue to bubble, reducing further until you have a thick sauce that stays on the spoon when you lift it out. As this works, you'll also want to skim the top and scrape the bottom occasionally to remove anything from building up. 

When the sauce is nice and thick, grab a second pot and add water, plus enough salt to make it as salty as the ocean. Bring that to a roiling boil and add in your bowtie pasta. Set a timer for six minutes, and go back to your cutting board. This time you're going to be tackling the chicken and being much more uniform than we were earlier in the recipe. Chop the chicken into bite-sized chunks, or you can shred it depending on how easily it's falling apart. Eitherway, once that's done, toss it into the sauce pot and give it a good stir to incorporate it. 

By now your pasta should be done, take that off the burner, strain it and add the pasta to the sauce. Give that a stir and let it simmer until the pasta is fully cooked. 

While that's finishing up, you've got one final choice to make. Do you like your food spicy or really spicy? If you like it just a little spicy, dish out the jalapenos in small dishes set to the side of each bowl. If you like it really spicy, add the jalapenos and the juice they come in into the main pot and let that mix. 

Either way you prefer it, once your pasta is fully cooked, congrats! You've got a healthy and delicious meal that no one will suspect has a whole bunch of veggies hidden in it. 

Let us know over on our Facebook page if you plan to give this one a try! We'd love to see how it turns out. 

If your appliances are giving you trouble, you can reach out to us via our contact page or by giving us a call at ((214) 599-0055). At Appliance Rescue Service, we're here for you and want to help you get your home running smoothly again.