Soup Day: Loaded Potato Leek Soup Recipe

The weather here is turning toward autumn and I am craving fall food like crazy. While thunder boomed and rain splattered against my kitchen window I cooked up this yummy potato leek soup. My husband cleared his bowl three times. It was so good my picky toddler had seconds. Seconds, people. That is unheard of! So, I am writing this down for myself and thought I would share.

Ingredients:
3 large baking potatoes, peeled and cubed into 1″ pieces
4 thick cut hickory smoked bacon slices
1 Leek stalk sliced (white and green)
1 Tbsp of Butter
14 oz can of Vegetarian Broth
1 C Heavy Cream
2 C grated Cheddar Jack cheese
1/2 tsp of garlic powder
Fresh Ground Pepper
Heavy pinch of salt
Tiny Pinch of sugar
Dash of nutmeg

Peel Potatoes, cube and place in a pot of boiling water.

In a medium dutch oven, cook your bacon over medium high heat. You will want it well done and crispy to add a bit of heft to the soup.

When the bacon is done, remove it from the dutch oven and drain all but 1 Tbsp of the grease. Add your Tbsp of butter (it should melt really fast) and your sliced leeks. Saute until tender. Add your broth and deglaze the bottom of the pan to get the yummy bacon flavor into the broth. Add your heavy cream. Stir in the cheese 1/2 c at a time.

Your potatoes should be fork-tender. Remove from heat and drain.

Take 1 C of potatoes and a bit of liquid & leeks from the soup and place in a blender. Blend until smooth.

Add your blended potatoes to your soup. Stir in the rest of the potato chunks. Season to taste using the garlic and pepper.

Crumble your bacon into the pot. Mix it in and taste. Make sure to do this before you add your salt as the bacon is going to give a naturally salty flavor. I decided it still needed a bit of salt, but make sure to taste it before you go any further.

I have an intolerance for sodium, so I try and reduce the amount in all of my recipes. A quick way to do that is to halve however much salt you think you should use and add a tiny pinch of sugar. The sugar somehow amplifies the salt in the recipe. When you are happy with the flavor, remove from heat.

Give everything a good stir and garnish with cheese, chives and any leftover bacon crumbles.

Served with a hearty piece of sourdough toast, this is a great fall meal

I’d love to hear your thoughts if you try it!