Leek and Potato Soup (No Cream)

vintage bowl full with chunky potato soup with leeks and without cream.

A delicious leek and potato soup without cream made with just a few ingredients and ready in about 40 minutes. You can leave it chunky or make it creamy.

Course Soup

Cuisine British

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Servings people

Calories 334kcal

Author Adina

Equipment

A large Dutch oven or another heavy-bottomed soup pot
Immersion blender optional

Ingredients

1 lb leeks 450 g weighed after cleaning, Note 1
2 lbs potatoes 900 g, Note 2
3 tablespoon butter Note 3
3 large garlic cloves minced
1 teaspoon marjoram Note 4
3 ½ cups vegetable broth or chicken stock, 800 ml
a few gratings of nutmeg
fine sea salt or Kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper a lot

Instructions

Clean the leeks: Wash them on the outside, top, and tail them. Cut and discard the last inch (2 cm) or so of the dark green ends; they are usually wilted.
Slice the leeks lengthwise, starting at the transition between the white and the green part and moving the knife towards the top of the plant.
Fan open the layers without taking the leek apart and rinse under cold running water until all the dirt is removed.
Chop the leeks.
Potatoes: Peel and wash them. Cut them into bite-sized chunks.
Sauté: Melt the butter, add the prepared vegetables, minced garlic, dried herbs, and a pinch of salt. Sauté on medium-low heat for 8 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes or so.
Simmer: Add the stock or broth, bring to a boil, and cook on low heat for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are soft.
Adjust the taste with a few gratings of nutmeg, salt, and lots of freshly ground black pepper.
Optional: Leave the soup chunky or blend it to your liking using an immersion blender. You can blend it only partially or blend it until creamy (Notes 5,6).

Notes

Leeks: I had two very large leeks, but leeks come in very different sizes. If they are small, you might even need 5 or 6. Ensure you check that you buy enough; you should have about 1.2-1.3 lbs (550-600 g) of leeks before cleaning them.
Use all-purpose potatoes like Yukon or white potatoes. On the potato spectrum, they are somewhere between waxy and starchy. It’s preferable not to use waxy potatoes for making soups.
Butter: Salted or unsalted; adjust the amount of salt you need accordingly.
Marjoram is always great in potato dishes. However, you can replace it with other dried herbs like thyme, oregano, rosemary, or a mixture. You can also use Italian herbs or herbs de Provence.
Blending in a food processor: Do it in batches, gradually increasing the speed to avoid the machine’s lid exploding and causing burns or other damages. It’s preferable to always use an immersion blender for blending soups or other hot liquids.
Don’t over-blend any potato soup, or it will turn gluey.

Nutrition