This luxurious creamy soup has lovely flavours of leeks, potatoes, garlic, and the freshness of dill with the rich bold flavour of bacon. Serve it as a first course or as a light lunch.
This delicious comforting soup makes a perfect lunch that satisfies and warms the insides on a cool fall or wintery day. The potatoes acts as a starch in this soup and with the creaminess of the sour cream or either Greek yogurt it really becomes a luxurious soup. The bacon compliments this soup with the smokiness flavour and the leeks gives it a sweet onion flavour that is a perfect balance for this soup.
Soups are one of the easiest recipes to make and there are soooo many variations. The beauty of making soups is you add your favourite ingredients to create a delicious soup that you can say is your signature recipe. Just keep in mind of blending ingredients and flavours, they should compliment each other. There are many websites now that can help you with that.
Ingredients and Helpful Tips:
Bacon: to get the true smoky flavour of bacon in this soup, purchase the cured bacon you find at the butcher or local meat market
Leeks: are more of a delicate sweet onion flavour compared to the onion, and make sure you cut off the green portion and wash thoroughly, to ensure all of the dirt is removed
Garlic: adds the bold rich flavour to this soup
Potatoes: I tried various types of potatoes for this soup, and the Yukon Gold potatoes add colour with some starch, the russet has the most starch, followed by the red potato. If you want to eliminate any dairy to this soup, I would recommend the russet for a creamy texture.
Cream: is optional, and if you are adding dairy to this soup, either greek yogurt or sour cream works well for the extra creaminess
Herbs: any of the herbs I suggested, add lovely delicious flavour to this soup, if you are using a dried herb, then add it the same time as the broth.
When making this soup:
Start with bacon as the base to create that smoky flavour and when the leeks are added with the garlic it takes on the flavour of the bacon.
When adding the broth, potatoes, salt and pepper, be sure to scrap the bottom of the pot for those bits of bacon, that allows the bacon flavour to circulate throughout the soup.
Once the potatoes are tender, and you are ready to add the sour cream/yogurt. This method I learnt from my Mom and we have always done in our Hungarian cooking, is add the cream or yogurt to a small bowl, then add ladles of the soup broth and whisk until all blended, then increase heat and add to soup, and stirring and whisking until well blended.
Finally touches is adding dill, thyme, or rosemary. My favourite for this soup is dill. It adds that fresh vibrant flavour!
Creamy Potato Leek Soup with Bacon
Ingredients
- 4 slices of cured smoke bacon, cut into small strips (optional: 2 tbsp unsalted butter/vegetable oil)
- 2 large leeks, white and light green part only, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4-5 cups chicken/vegetable broth
- 2 large potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
- 1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream or Greek yogurt (optional)
- 3 tbsp fresh dill, plus extra for garnishing (options: thyme or rosemary) (option: dried herbs, then add 1-2 tsp)
Instructions
- In a large sauce pot, over medium heat add bacon, and fry until cooked and crispy. Remove bacon and set aside. Then add leeks and sauté for about 8 minutes until the leeks are tender. If the leeks start to brown, reduce heat. Then add garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds.
- Add broth, potatoes, salt and pepper (add dried herb now if using), then reduce heat. Simmer for about 20 minutes until the potatoes tender.
- Using a hand blender or food processor/blender, puree soup until smooth and no chucks are remaining. If using a blender, adjust the amount of soup you add, to avoid the hot soup splashing up on you, and hold a tea towel over the opening while the steam is escaping.
- In a small bowl, add the sour cream/greek yogurt and add a couple lades of the soup and mix well with a fork or whisk until the sour cream is blended well. Pour the sour cream mixture into the hot puree soup and whisk until well blended. Add the chopped dill, thyme or rosemary and taste if more seasoning is needed.
- Ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh dill, thyme or rosemary and bacon.
Nutrition
How to make this soup:
Prepare your ingredients, and the first thing you need to do is cut the bacon into small strips, and pan fry until crispy in a large sauce pot. Transfer the bacon to a plate, and set aside. Leave the bacon fat in the pot, and add a tablespoon of olive oil if needed. Sauté the leeks for about 6-8 minutes until tender and at the same time scrap the bottom of the pot to release the bacon bites.
Once the leeks are tender, then add garlic and sauté for about a minute, enough time to release it’s flavour, and then add broth, potatoes. salt and pepper, then reduce heat. Simmer until potatoes are tender. If you are using a dried herb, add it now at the same time as the broth.
At that point, puree the soup with a hand blender or food processor until smooth. Add the dairy if using and puree with blender until well combined and the fresh herb of your choice. Garnish with bacon bits and fresh herb.
Enjoy this soup with fresh herbs to balance the creamy smoky flavours. This soup is ideal for a light lunch or an appetizer before a light meal.
