POTATO LEEK SOUP | the coziest vegetarian soup recipe for winter

This potato leek soup is a comfort food classic and one to cozy up to when the weather gets a bit nippy outside. Other variations of this soup might add dairy, but to be honest, it's not needed because the potatoes add the perfect level of creaminess all on their own. So yes, my version is dairy-free and vegetarian. It's also budget-friendly and great for meal prep. Just freeze a few servings to easily reheat again in the future. So let me show you how to make it. To get started, you'll need three large leeks and when you're buying leeks, look for ones that have a good amount of white and light green parts as that's what you'll use in this recipe. Slice off the green leaves of the leeks and discard them or use them in a future stock and then slice the lighter portion in half lengthwise. Leeks have all of these layers like onions because they're part of the same allium family, but they're notorious for getting dirt and sand in those layers, so it's imperative that you clean them well. I used to just rinse them under the faucet with running water and use my fingers to clean them like this, but I found that it didn't always remove those hard-to-find gritty bits of sand. So the best thing to do is slice them up, then rinse them after they're sliced in a colander. I'll finish slicing all three of these leeks up, place them in a colander, and then take them over to the sink. Run the sliced leeks under the faucet with cold water and use your hands to make sure that all of the dirt and debris gets removed. You could also place them in a large bowl of water and then drain the water if you prefer to do that, then set them aside. Next up is the other main ingredient in this potato leek soup, and that's two pounds of potatoes. I prefer to use Yukon Gold potatoes for a smooth and creamy texture, but you could use white potatoes or russet potatoes as well. Peel the potatoes, slice them into small chunks, about the same size so that they cook evenly, then place them in a bowl to take over to the stove. All right, let's make this soup. Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the leeks and saute them for about eight to 10 minutes or until they've softened. You don't really want them browned and starting to caramelize, so if you notice them browning like mine are a bit, just turn down the heat a smidge. Mince two garlic cloves straight into the pot and then stir that together with the leeks for another minute. Add the chopped potatoes to the pot along with one bay leaf, two to three sprigs of thyme, and my thyme is pretty woody today, one teaspoon of kosher salt and four cups of vegetable broth or chicken broth. If you wanna make this a vegan or vegetarian soup though, do make sure that you use vegetable broth. Bring that to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pot and let it cook for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender. When the soup is done, remove the lid and give it a stir. Many of the thyme leaves will likely fall from the stem when you do this and that's okay as you're gonna blend everything together in a second and those extra thyme leaves just add more flavor. Then use tongs to remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs or just the woody stems if that's all you have left like me. I like to poke the potatoes with a fork in a few spots just to double check that the soup is ready to be blended and if the fork slides right through a potato chunk, you know you're good to go. To blend this up, I like to use my Vitamix immersion blender which I'm kind of obsessed with as it's so darn powerful. I gave a demo of it in my lentil soup recipe last year so if you want more details on it, make sure to go back and watch that video and if you don't have an immersion blender, you could blend this potato leek soup in batches in a regular blender as well. The great thing about this recipe is that you can make it as chunky or smooth as you'd like. Some folks like it slightly chunky. I personally prefer it velvety smooth so I blend it up completely. When you're done, you'll notice that this soup has a fairly thick texture thanks to the starchiness of the potatoes. Again, you have options here. If you like it thick, you can keep it as I've written it on the recipe on my website but if you prefer a thinner, more watery soup texture, you can add one to two cups of extra broth to thin this soup down and that will actually give you an extra serving as well so it's completely up to you. When you're ready to serve up this tasty potato leek soup, add a few ladlefuls of it to a bowl. It's such a comforting, homey recipe that'll fill you up and no adornments are needed but you know me, I'm all about the toppings. So I like to add a little drizzle of extra virgin olive oil on top although you do have to be careful that you don't accidentally pour out too much because I've done that as well. Then add a generous sprinkle of thinly sliced chives and freshly cracked black pepper. This really is an easy soup recipe to whip up with just a handful of healthy ingredients and you've gotta love that most of the time, it's the simplest recipes that turn out the best, don't you think? If you enjoyed today's video, make sure to give it a thumbs up, share it with your family and friends if they're in need of a little warmth and comfort food and I will see you again in the next video.