Potato Leek Soup

As it gets colder, a bowl of piping hot soup can often hit the spot. This version of potato leek soup is relatively low calorie, but it contains a ton of hearty flavor using very simple ingredients. The richness of the soup makes it filling, so it can serve as a side dish to a meal or a meal on its own in a larger portion. 

Some recipes puree everything in the soup to make a uniform, but thick soup texture. I usually prefer to have a little substance to break up the texture of a soup, so instead of pureeing all of the ingredients, I saved some of the potatoes and added them in to the soup at the end to provide some chunkiness. If you just want delicious soup without the cubes of potato, then you can cut out one or one and a half potatoes from this recipe. Otherwise, give it a go as is for a deliciously filling soup.

Makes about 6 cups of soup at 1060 calories total or 177 calories per cup.

Ingredients

• 5 large potatoes chopped into 1/2 inch cubes (550 cal.)
• 3 large leeks, finely chopped, white and light green parts only (about 150 cal.)
• 1/2 cup of light or heavy cream (I used light cream – 30 cal. / tbs or 240 cal. total)
• 1 tablespoon of butter (100 cal.)
• 4 cups of chicken broth (20 cal.)
• 1/2 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Equipment

• Large pot
• Knife
• Wooden spoon
• Cutting Board
• Fine mesh colander
• Small sauce pot
• Cup, tablespoon, and teaspoon measurements
• Potato peeler
• Hand blender / Immersion blender

Directions

1. Chop off the roots and the dark green parts of the leeks before washing them thoroughly under cold water because most leeks are covered in dirt. We get rid of the dark green parts for this soup because they are tougher and have a more pungent onion flavor than the white and pale green parts.
   
2. Cut each leek vertically in half and then finely chop each crescent moon shaped half into slivers. Don’t be afraid if you’re still seeing some dirt on the leeks. That’s normal.
   
3. Now that the leeks are cut, you want to rinse them thoroughly under cold water again, but this time using a fine mesh colander, to really make sure all of the dirt is washed away.
   
4. Pat the leeks dry using a paper towl and place them into the large pot you’ll be using to make the soup. Add in one tablespoon of butter and then cover the pot while you prep the potatoes.
   
5. Peel the potatoes, chop them into half-inch squares and set them aside. You only really need about 1.5 or 2 potatoes finely chopped into cubes. The rest you can roughly chop into smaller pieces if you’re feeling lazy, but smaller pieces does mean that they cook faster.
   
6. Set the heat to medium on the stove and start sauteing the leeks in the butter until they are softer. You do not want to brown or char the leeks. You simply want to get them coated in the butter and softened, so stir often.
   
7. Once the leeks are soft, add in the 4 cups of broth to the leeks (two of the pictures below!).
   
8. Place the amount of 1.5 – 2 diced potatoes into the smaller sauce pot, cover them with water, cover with a lid, and bring that pot to boil.
   
9. While the smaller pot boils, add in the rest of the potatoes to the large pot and bring the large pot to a boil as well. Once the larger pot with your leeks in it has started boiling, add in the salt, pepper, and parsley. 
   
10. Once both pots have reached a boil, set the stove down to low and let them simmer for about 20 min or until the potatoes are fork tender (that means you can squish them using a fork very easily).
11. When the potatoes are ready, use an immersion blender only in the large pot and blend all of the ingredients thoroughly.
    
12. Next, pour in 1/2 cup of light or heavy cream to the pot and stir or blend briefly until everything is mixed well. (I used light cream simply to cut calories, but you can use heavy cream if you want. I don’t think there is that much difference in flavor for this recipe though).
    
13. Drain the water from the small pot of cubed potatoes and then add them to the larger pot. This gives you some potato chunks and a different texture in an otherwise rich, smooth soup.
    
14. Serve the soup hot and garnished with fresh parsley, diced scallions, or if you’re feeling especially interesting, serve the soup with a slice of crispy bacon or bacon crumbles. This soup also goes well with oyster crackers or saltines because of it’s similarities to New England Clam Chowder!