Rustic Potato Leek Soup
A warmly satisfying and easy to make soup! With only 6 ingredients, this Rustic Potato Leek Soup is a perfect any-time meal to warm you up on those cold days. By leaving the skin on the potatoes and slicing the leeks thinly, you get a perfectly rustic, more flavorful soup, and you get to keep the vitamins from the skin! I love this soup for lunch or dinner! Try it, I know you’ll agree!
Rustic Potato Leek Soup
Why “Rustic?” Well, most Potato Leek soup is pureed, which makes the soup thick. Many times, however, people over puree the potatoes making the soup pasty, which, in my opinion, is not very appetizing. This version keep nice hearty pieces of the potatoes and leeks giving you substance with every bite.
I must admit, this is my wife’s baby. She is just amazing when it comes to soups! She just has a knack, skill, talent really, for coming up with mind-blowing soups off the cuff. At times she will often try soup recipes that are quite disappointing and then come up with her own version that tastes awesome. I have a hard time getting her to write down what she’s doing, so, many of her delicious creations are unfortunately lost for good. But not this one!
No one in our family liked the pureed versions of Potato Leek Soup because the texture was too much like glue. So my wife made this “Rustic” version. She keeps the potato skins on which helps hold the potato slices together. You also get the benefit of the vitamins from the skins (gotta have some healthy stuff, right?). The slow simmer will release starch from the potatoes that will thicken the soup. So there is no need to puree it to thicken the soup.
What Are Leeks?
Leeks are in the same family as onions and garlic (Allium family), but they are milder than your typical onion. They look like someone added too much fertilizer and got giant green onions. But, they’re not green onions. They stand on their own!
Leeks provide a delicate and semi-sweet element to foods. They are often used is soups, stews, or even mixed in with other veggies used when cooking roasts, chicken, or other large meats.
You can even slice leeks in half, drizzle some olive oil on them, season with a little salt and pepper and toss them on the grill for a few minutes. They taste awesome this way!
 How to Clean and Prep Leeks
When you use leeks you need to make sure you clean them well. Leeks are grown in sandy soil so a simple rinse usually doesn’t suffice to clean them well. Here’s a few tips . . .
- First, cut off the dark leaves of the leeks right where the color starts to darken.
- Next, peal off the top layer of the leek and cut off the root.
- Now slice the leek in half lengthwise.
- Lay each half flat side down and slice the leek in semi-circles.
- Place the slices in a bowl of cool water and use your hands to stir them around. The leeks will float and the sand will sink to the bottom.
- Using your hands, remove the leeks from the bowl and place them in a colander to drain. Note: you do not want to pour the rinse water into the colander as this will just pour the sand and grit back onto the leeks.
What Ingredients Are in Rustic Potato Leek Soup?
- 1 stick Butter
- 3 Leeks, halved and sliced
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- 6 cups Chicken Stock
- 6 Russet Potatoes, halved and sliced
- 1 cup Half & Half
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- Freshly cracked Pepper to garnish
- Green Onions, sliced for garnish
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Half & Half – you can use heavy cream to make it thicker or milk to make it runnier.
How Is Rustic Potato Leek Soup Made?
- Cut off the dark green leaves of the leeks, leaving only the white and very light green section of each leek.
- Rinse the leeks thoroughly to remove any sand or dirt.
- Cut the unpeeled potatoes in half lengthwise. Slice 1/4 inch thick.
- Melt 1 stick of butter over medium low heat in large stock pot.
- Add leeks to butter. Cook leeks until soft, stirring often.
- Add garlic to mixture. Cook 1 minute, stirring often.
- Add chicken stock and potatoes to stock pot.
- Bring to boil over medium heat, then reduce to simmer for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are fork tender.
- Once potatoes are fork tender, remove from heat.
- Stir in 1 cup of half and half, and stir in salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve immediately, garnishing each serving with fresh cracked pepper and sliced green onions.
Helpful Tips
You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheat the soup in a saucepan large enough to hold the quantity desired. Remember that the larger the opening of the pot, the more evaporation you’ll have. So be sure to add a little more liquid to the pot.
Technically, it can, but the cream will seperate. If you are planning to make to freeze immediately, cook the soup according to the instructions except the half and half. You can add that when reheating the soup.
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Rustic Potato Leek Soup
Ingredients
- 1 stick Butter
- 3 Leeks, halved and sliced
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- 6 cups Chicken Stock
- 6 Russet Potatoes, halved and sliced
- 1 cup Half & Half
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- Freshly cracked Pepper to garnish
- Green Onions, sliced for garnish
Instructions
-
Cut off the dark green leaves of the leeks, leaving only the white and very light green section of each leek.
-
Rinse the leeks thoroughly to remove any sand or dirt.
-
Cut the unpeeled potatoes in half lengthwise. Slice 1/4 inch thick.
-
Melt 1 stick of butter over medium low heat in large stock pot.
-
Add leeks to butter. Cook leeks until soft, stirring often.
-
Add garlic to mixture. Cook 1 minute, stirring often.
-
Add chicken stock and potatoes to stock pot.
-
Bring to boil over medium heat, then reduce to simmer for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are fork tender.
-
Once potatoes are fork tender, remove from heat.
-
Stir in 1 cup of half and half, and stir in salt and pepper to taste.
-
Serve immediately, garnishing each serving with fresh cracked pepper and sliced green onions.
Excellent & easy. My flavors are excellent with homemade Chicken/Veggie stock. When buying stock choose a good quality. I added a flavorful local processed bacon fried abt 8 oz. I could also see some sauteed baby ports if you want a earthy flavor. It was excellent! I served it up with homemade Dark Caraway Rye Bread!
Thank you, Becky! I’m so glad you like it. Yes, homemade stock is the best!
My goodness those additions sound amazing especially that bread
Going to give it a whirl today
Thanks!
Made this topped it with guanciale and croutons my husband said amazing!! Works for me
Cool! I’m so glad you liked it!
Just made this soup and it was easy and delicious! Will definitely make again.
Thank you so much! I’m happy you liked it!
Amazing flavors and easy to make.
Thank you so much, Tammy! I’m glad you liked it!
Made this soup today using the golden potatoes plus I added a couple of small bay leaves. OMG TO DIE FOR…LOVE IT
Hello Violet! I’m so glad you loved this. Thank you for the review and added tip! Bay leaves are a great addition.
I love this easy Leek Potato Soup recipe. I also garnish with bacon and a little cheddar cheese. Heavenly!
Nice! Thank you, Terrie. Bacon & cheddar are awesome toppings. I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Really good, I like mine smooth, so I will use my emersion blender. Thanks!
Thank you Mrs B! I’m so glad you like this. It’s my wife’s favorite. I hope you enjoy this over and over!
Simply fantastic! Will make it again for sure
Thank you! That was our goal – simple, enjoyable, and to make over and over! 🙂
Made the recipe, didn’t use the butter, used bacon and still thought it was fairly tasteless. My husband liked it, which made me happy. I won’t made this recipe again…sorry!
I’m sorry you didn’t like it. Butter is used in any recipe to add flavor. You left out a key ingredient that contributes to the overall flavor. If you left it out, you had to have used something else to substitute which would have changed the taste of my recipe. I understand some people can’t have butter or choose to not use it for personal reasons, and I totally respect that. But, by changing it, you didn’t make my recipe, and it’s unfair to poorly rate MY recipe because you didn’t like YOUR recipe.
This recipe is delicious. I ended up adding about a cup of fresh parm but it was also delicious before I did. I also LOVE your reply to the woman who omitted the butter!! I hate when ppl review a recipe that they completely change!
Thank you! I’m so glad you liked it! 🙂 And I agree with what you said about the other comment. I absolutely don’t mind ppl changing or adding things. Some ppl have allergies or dietary restrictions, so I get that. And I am SOOOO happy if I can inspire others to be a bit adventurous and use my recipes as a starting point for their own creations. And comments including GOOD alteration equally inspire others. I LOVE THAT! But if those alterations make the meal taste horrible, don’t knock mine or anyone else for that. They didn’t make MY recipe!!! They made their own, so the failure is their own. Thanks again! 😉
Thank you for sharing this delicious soup recipe! I did add 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary, 2 bay leaves and substituted heavy cream for half and half that really bought extra flavor.
Thank you so much! Those sound like wonderful substitutions. I’m so glad you like it!
Made this soup today. I added a fennel bulb sliced and sautéed with leeks. I also used white pepper, bay leaves and a Rosemary sprig. You could alternatively use a spring of thyme or fresh dill which would be nice.
Nice additions! I’m glad you were inspired by our recipe!
Hi how many lbs of leeks is 3? Please
Hello! Sorry for the delayed reply. I had a knee procedure. We never really weighed it. But that would be an adjustment to make to the recipe. We typically buy 3 leeks with a diameter of about 1-1.25 inches if that helps. This gives me an excuse to make it again so I can add that to the recipe. Sorry I couldn’t answer your question, but thank you for helping us to improve! 🙂
Excellent recipe! Made this dairy free by substituting margarine for butter, and cashew cream for half and half. It was so good, and my kitchen smelled amazing. I imagine it would be even tastier as written.
WOW! That’s awesome you made it dairy free. I’m sure a lot of people reading this recipe will appreciate the notes! Thank you for your input! 😉
This soup was a HIT!! I was nervous about my 5 & 7 year olds liking leeks, so I had them help me make it! We made it exactly as written, and we all loved it!! Served with slices of fresh-baked sourdough slathered in Irish butter 🤤
Yay! I am so glad everyone enjoyed it. And what an awesome idea to include the kids! My kids love it, too!
Delicious recipe!! I will make it again.
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed it!
I have to say this is the best potato and leak soup I’ve ever had, it’s so simple yet so full of flavour the only adjustment I made was I use 5% cream as it was all I had and I added some onions. It was so tasty
Wow! Thank you for your compliment! You made my day! 😉
If I could give this more stars I would! I love leeks and I absolutely loved this dish. I decided to add bacon and parsley to it and next time, I will prepare without the bacon. I just love bacon so much I had to throw it in there.
Thanks again for sharing your recipe, You RoCk!
Awww! Thank you! I’m so glad you like it so much! 🙂