One Pot Potato Leek Soup Made With Coconut Milk
One Pot Potato Leek Soup Made With Coconut Milk
When it gets cold and nothing sounds better than a night on the couch with some warm soup, this is my go to recipe. Thick, creamy, and full of hearty flavor, this potato leek soup is a delicious and comforting dinner. Easy enough for a week night, this soup is not complicated to construct and makes for excellent leftovers as the flavors seem to meld overnight. This soup is also a versatile base when it comes to your favorite toppings. You can mix and match with croutons, cheese, bacon bits, and arugula, meaning its super easy to make sure everyone gets what they want ! I usually pair it with my Flank Steak in Soy Marinade, toss some crackers on a plate, and sit down to enjoy my favorite movie. I hope you give this creamy soup a try and incorporate into your winter comfort food rotation.
Notes and Tips for One Pot Potato Leek Soup with Thyme:
Cleaning leeks can be difficult. To make sure you get all the dirt out, first clean your leeks by making a vertical slice down one side of your leek. Turn your leek a half turn and slice vertically down again. Gently fan the leek under your faucet and allow the dirt to run out while rubbing with your fingers. After this initial clean, coin your leeks and return to a colander for a final rinse.
Fresh thyme will add both aroma and flavor. Dried thyme works great, however, if that is all you have!
The more potato you use, the thicker your soup will be. I recommend 2-3 medium to large Yukon gold potatoes for 2 medium leeks. If you choose to thicken your soup with extra potato, use about 1/2 cup to 1 cup less broth.
Though not as pretty in the end, purple potatoes and fingerling potatoes will work with this soup too. I usually use whichever I have on hand!
If you do not have an immersion blender, use a regular blender!
This soup freezes well. Store in a freezer safe container and enjoy the same delicious meal a few week later.
Common Questions For Potato Leek Soup:
Why Does My Potato Leek Soup Taste Bitter?
Potato leek soup can taste bitter if you burn the leeks when first reducing them down in your pot. To avoid burning your leeks, stir the leeks often and reduce with butter or oil to help avoiding burning the leeks.'
Can I Use Cream in Potato Leek Soup?
Yes! You can substitute out heavy cream for the coconut milk that I use in this recipe. I prefer coconut milk as a dairy free alternative for this soup. Some people do not enjoy the taste of coconut milk, so feel free to use cream.
How Do You Make Bland Soup Taste Better?
Soup can be bland for many reasons. Make sure to use plenty of garlic cloves, I call for 5 garlic cloves to increase flavor. You can add the garlic at the same time as the leeks to release their flavor.
Use a good stock! Chicken or vegetable can make or break your soup. Make sure to use a high quality stock with lots of flavor.
Season as you go. Adding salt at the different stages of making soup can help season the leeks and potatoes more thoroughly.
Let the soup simmer. If you have time to allow your soup to simmer for 15-20 minutes after blending, you will be surprised at how much more flavor is introduced.
Why Isn’t My Potato Soup Creamy?
Do not over add stock to your soup. Only use enough chicken stock or vegetable stock to cover the potatoes and leeks. You can add more stock later but its hard to take it out!
Use a high fat cream. Full fat coconut milk is rich and creamy, but you will want to use the full fat kind.
Add cheese! Parmesan cheese is a super tasty and creamy way to add fat and flavor when serving the soup. If you experiment with cheese on top, let me know in the comments below.
What Does Potato Leek Soup Go With?
Potato Leek soup is really good when served with crackers, fresh bread, or croutons on top. I love crackers or toasted bread because the crunch is such a great texture that goes with soup.
I often serve potato leek with flank or skirt steak. The red meat goes really well with the creamy soup!
Ingredients For Potato Leek Soup:
Recipe:
- 1.5 lb Yukon gold potatoes (about 3 potatoes). You can also use any other starchy potatoes! Fingerlings, or small bite-size potatoes work well here too.
- 2 medium leeks Look for leeks with dark green tops without any wilting.
- 16 oz can coconut milk Full fat coconut milk tastes best! You can also use whole milk, or even some cream.
- 5 cups of stock or enough to cover the potatoes. If you want a thinner soup, add a little extra stock.
- 5 garlic cloves Garlic cloves add so much flavor! I add 5-7 cloves but you can add as few as you like. You can also use garlic powder instead of fresh garlic if needed.
- 2 Tbs oil or butter Oil is needed to saute the leeks.
- 2 Tbs of thyme I add extra time since I love the flavor. You can add extra at the end if you also love thyme. Fresh thyme is softer than dried thyme and will blend nicely with the coconut milk.
- 3 bay leaves Bay leaves add flavor. You can use fresh or dried bay leaves.
- Salt Adding salt at the different stages helps season your food as you go.
- Pepper I like adding pepper mostly at the end since the fresh cracked pepper is a nice contrast to all the cream.
Directions For One Pot Potato Leek Soup
Prepare the Ingredients:
Clean and cut your leeks into small coins (see note above for cleaning tip).
Wash and cut the potatoes into small 1 inch cubes, set aside.
Peel and smash 2-3 garlic cloves. These get blended so no need to finely chop.
In a deep pot, heat 2 Tbs of butter or oil of choice to medium heat.
Add the chopped leeks, 1 tsp of salt, a free cranks of black pepper, and cover to reduce, about 5 minutes.
Remove the lid, and add the garlic and sauté until the leeks are translucent and beginning to reduce.
2. Add The Potatoes and Simmer the Soup
After the leeks are reduced and softened, add the chopped potatoes, chicken broth, bay leaves, and thyme.
Cover with a lid again and reduce the heat to low to allow the soup to simmer.
When the potatoes are fork tender, remove the bay leaves.
3. Blend The Soup and Add Coconut Milk
Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth.
Add 1 can of coconut milk, additional salt and pepper.
Taste and adjust thyme, salt and pepper. Allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes.
Serve it up and enjoy!