Potato Leek Soup Makeover

Potato Leek soup is a pretty common soup I think. Probably because it's pretty simple to make, delicious and warming making it a true comfort food. All of the recipes I've come across are pretty similar, most call for just potatoes and leeks, stock and cream. To me, that just makes glorified mashed potatoes which is all fine and good but I wanted more of a hearty, flavourful yet healthy soup. So I made up my own version out of the usual 'starter' recipe and it was magnificent.

If you've been here at Simply Healthy Family before, you know that I love my veggies and put them in almost everything, even in smoothies. So basically, all I did to this soup was use a good Organic chicken broth ( I use home made broth in broth based soups) and added more leeks and veggies and omitted the cream, using white wine instead for even more flavor. The result was a very flavorful soup without the heavy cream to mask the wonderful leeks and veggies.

This soup was super simple and fairly frugal making it a perfect weekday supper. 4 out of 4 kids loved it!

Simple. Leeks, potatoes, a bit of celery a touch of garlic. Use good quality flavor enhancers like chicken broth, a little bit of a good, dry white wine and French Sea Salt and you'll never miss the butter and cream that sabotage this wonderful soup and your diet.

 Cut the dark green tops off of the leeks and discard or save for vegetable stock or your compost pile. Slice the remaining white stalk lenghtwise. Rinse thoroughly under cool running water to remove sand.

In a ceramic coated cast iron pot (or good soup pot) over medium heat, add a teaspoon or two of EVOO. Gently cook leeks for 3-4 minutes till softened.

Don't let them brown like onions, Leeks are very sensitive that way. ;)

'De-Glazing' adds flavor 

Pour the wine into the pot (can use broth but the wine adds a wonderful flavour!) while scraping the bottom
of the pot with a broad wooden spoon to remove browned bits.
Turn up the heat to Med-High and cook down the wine for about 3 minutes.
Remember not to use metal utensils on your ceramic coated cookware.
and you threw away all of your Teflon pans right???




The center of the celery or 'celery heart' is perfect in soups. Chop up the leaves and add them to soup for more flavour!

Let's talk about salt!



French sea salts are hand-harvested from pristine Atlantic seawater. Unlike most American sea salts, they are usually unrefined so they retain more of the trace minerals that naturally occur in seawater. These minerals include natural iodine which is an essential mineral for proper thyroid function. French grey sea salt, or Sel Gris, is harvested using the traditional Celtic methods. This prized process is done entirely by hand, using only wooden tools. This preserves the pure taste of the French salt, and produces a very special moist crystalline texture. Sel Gris by Le Tresor is also lower in sodium chloride content than average sea salts, generally containing anywhere from 83–87% sodium chloride. French sea salts are ideal for use on salads, cooked fresh vegetables and grilled meat. They are available in coarse grains – ideal for pinching or salt cellars, stone ground fine – an ideal replacement for processed table salts, and extra fine grain – the perfect popcorn salt (or other salty snacks).

 A little goes a long way so even though it's more expensive than regular table salt, you get your money's worth and it's so much better for your health! I just can't say enough about how wonderful this salt tastes!  Potatoes soak up a lot of salt so add a little during cooking to help distribute flavor through your soup but wait until the end of cooking to add salt to taste.

The result?  Drum roll please................... Fantastic. Flavorful. Healthy. 

Comfort city central in my 

kitchen.

Printer Friendly Version of Potato Leek Soup Recipe

TIME  40 MINUTES     SERVES  6-8You Will Need:
5 medium Russet or Yukon Potatoes2-3 Leeks, trimmed and washed2 stalks celery heart w leaves, chopped1 clove garlic, chopped1 cup dry white wine (sub w broth if you must ;)6-7 cups Organic Chicken broth (or home made)2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)1 tablespoon fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dry* 1 teaspoon French Grey Sea Salt *Freshly cracked pepper to taste
Optional Garnishes:Center cut bacon, cooked and crumbled on topFresh Thyme


Trim and wash leeks as described above. Cut into thin slices. In a large soup pot over medium heat, add EVOO. Add leeks, cook over medium heat stirring occasionally 3-4 minutes till softened but not browned.Pour in wine while scraping the bottom of the pot with a broad wooden spoon. Let the wine cook down for 2-3 minutes.
Meanwhile scrub potatoes, leave peels on for vitamins. Chop into small, 1 inch pieces. Wash and chop celery. Smash and chop garlic, set aside.
Add broth to the pot, turn up the heat and add the potatoes and celery. Bring to a boil while stirring. Lower heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes, until potatoes are soft.

Remove from heat. Add garlic, thyme and salt. Using an immersion blender, blend contents of pot to a smooth consistency. Alternately, in small batches, carefully blend contents of pot in a blender.

Ladle into bowls. Sprinkle with cracked pepper and chopped bacon, garnish with thyme.

This post is linked to Kahakai Kitchen for Souper Sunday's roundup!