This is a leek and potato soup that you’ll be coming back to time and time again.. It’s chunky in all the best ways, it’s unctuously creamy, it’s hearty and wholesome and packed with immense, intense flavor, and of course, it’s vegan! And the astounding addict-ability of this soup makes sense: leeks and potatoes are one of the most quintessentially delicious soup combinations in existence, so how can you not love it?! So break out the biggest and most beautiful leeks you can find – this is one leek and potato soup that you’ll likely be slurping down with unashamed glee.
An onion can make people cry but there’s never been a vegetable that can make people laugh.”
– Will Rogers
How Do You Wash a Leek Properly?
Leeks are truly an incredible vegetable. Basically, they’re like green onion’s older, more gigantic, more mild-mannered cousin. And in my opinion, this subtle and amazingly hearty onion-y flavor of leeks shine forth best when roasted.
But before you can roast a leek for this leek and potato soup, you have to wash the darn thing thoroughly. Leeks are, after all, an onion, and onions have many layers. Each layer of the leek can be chock-full of dirt and debris – no a pleasant mouthful to ingest, let me tell you. So here’s a step-by-step of how to clean them!
1. Remove any super thick or dead looking leaves from the outside of the leek, then cut off the thick green leaves of the leek stalks. You’re going to want to cut just until the leek starts to turn more yellowish green than dark green – discard the dark green leaves.
2. Then, cut the remainder of the leek in half as well as the very white bottom root part. Throughly wash the leeks under running water, getting in between all the layers well to remove any possible dirt or debris.
3. For good measure, check one last time between the layers for any additional dirt, and then briefly dry the leeks before rubbing them with olive oil.
Voilà – clean leeks for roasting.
Life is like an onion. You peel it off one layer at a time, and sometimes you weep.”
– Carl Sandberg
Cornstarch & Thick Soups
The trick to achieving a thick and deliciously creamy leek and potato soup lies in this ingredient: cornstarch.
A lot of people shy away from cornstarch, maybe because it sounds scary and processed and like something you’d use to remediate a house. However, when used well and in moderation, it can be a wonderful way of enabling you to achieve textures in your cooking that would otherwise be improbable, if not impossible.
The key for adding cornstarch in a soup is to make a slurry. All you have to do to make a slurry is spoon a couple of tables of the warm liquid soup into a small bowl, and then add the cornstarch to that, and whisk thoroughly to combine. After that, pour the slurry back into the larger soup pot, and you’ll find that the cornstarch will evenly incorporate easily, and you’ll have little to no risk of clumps and bumps of cornstarch congelations in your leek and potato soup.
It may seem counterintuitive not to just dump the cornstarch into the big vat of soup directly, but doing so often causes aforementioned clumps to occur – an unpleasant texture – as well as an uneven distribution of the starch, too.
It is hard to imagine civilization without onions.”
– Julia Child
The Other Secret for A Creamy Leek and Potato Soup
Okay, well it’s not exactly a secret. People have been using this particular ingredient to enhance and to creamify soups sans dairy for a long time.
The “secret” is of course coconut milk.
Coconut milk is super-duper fatty..like..really fatty, and will give anything into which you add it an immediate creamy body that’s undeniably rich, delicious and indulgent.
It’s understandable that sometimes people are weary of using coconut milk because of the high saturated fat content, but again it’s one of the best ways to achieve a delectably creamy vegan leek and potato soup (in my opinion).
If you are one of those people who are unsure about coconut milk, know that there is a lite version of coconut milk available, too. I used the lite version in this leek and potato soup recipe, and it turned out spectacularly creamy still.
Also, here are some other soups of mine that really highlight the unctuousness of coconut milk: Butternut Squash Bisque, Peanut Butter Curry, Chickpea Tom Kah, Hearts of Palm “Clam” Chowder.
Man is like an onion. His potential is exposed one layer at a time until all he is, is known by all.”
– Myles Munroe
Dig In!
This leek and potato soup is waiting for you – creamy potatoes, hearty and onion-y roasted leeks, unctuous coconut milk..and what more could anyone need than a bowl full of that?
I think sometimes that people are like onions. On the outside smooth and whole and simple but inside ring upon ring, complex and deep.”
– Karen Cushman
If you enjoyed this leek and potato soup, consider leaving me a comment and recipe rating (clicking on the star) – it helps me immensely!
Chunky Roasted Leek & Potato Soup
Equipment
- Soup Pot
- Baking Sheet
- Immersion Blender
Ingredients
- 2 large leek stalks, trimmed, halved, & throughly washed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, rubbed onto the leek halves
- Dash of salt & pepper
- 3 medium yukon gold potatoes, thinly sliced (¼-inch or so) into quarter moons
- 2 – 3 tablespoons olive oil,
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 4 – 5 medium garlic cloves, finely minced
- 4 cups vegetable broth, low-sodium preferred
- 1 (13.66 oz.) can lite coconut milk, full-fat coconut milk also works
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar, or to taste
- ½ – 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch (optional for thicker soup), mixed with a couple tablespoons of the warm soup to create a slurry
- Some chives, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Next, remove any super thick or dead looking leaves from the outside of the leek, then cut off the thick green leaves of the leek stalks. You're going to want to cut just until the leek starts to turn more yellowish green than dark green – discard the dark green leaves. Then, cut the remainder of the leeks in half as well as the very white bottom root part, and throughly wash the leeks under running water, getting in between all the layers well to remove any possible dirt or debris.
- After that's done, dry the leek halves briefly, and rub with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and lay evenly spaced on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Roast the leeks in the oven for about 30 – 35 minutes, until soft when poked with a fork and golden brown or lightly charred looking. About 20 minutes into baking the leeks, brush on a little bit more olive oil if they look like they're roasting too fast. Once done, set the leeks aside to cool a bit.
- Meanwhile, while the leeks are in the oven, begin sautéing the quarter moons of yellow potato in olive oil in the soup pot over medium heat, for about 7 – 10 minutes, until the potatoes begin to brown a little bit. Then add the onion and garlic, and continue sautéing for another 5 – 7 minutes, until the onions become somewhat translucent and the potatoes are beginning to become more tender.
- Once the potatoes, onions and garlic look about right, add a box (4 cups) of vegetable broth, and bring it to a slow simmer, covering the soup pot to continue cooking the potatoes for another 5 – 10 minutes or so. Test a potato slice or two to make sure they're becoming soft but not overly mushy.
- Now it's time to chop up the roasted leeks. Halve the roasted leeks, and chop them in about ½-inch segments. Add the chopped leeks and coconut milk to the vegetable broth, as well as the salt and white wine vinegar. Allow the soup to heat through, letting it gently simmer for another 5 – 10 minutes, until the potatoes are completely done.
- Optional Step: Now, in a small bowl, you can mix a single teaspoon of cornstarch with a couple tablespoon scoops of the soup, whisk that well, and add that slurry back into the soup to thicken it, but only if you'd like the texture a bit thicker.
- Last but not least, remove the soup pot from the heat, and, using an immersion blender, blend about ⅓ of the soup to thicken it further, being mindful to preserve many leek and potato chunks for textural pleasantness. Also, make sure to keep the head of the blender underneath liquid at all times, to prevent hot soup from flying everywhere.
- After that, heat the soup back through, and serve with chopped chives and whatever else you want!
Nutrition
May you have good food in good company,
That Vegan Nephew
Yummy on a cool fall evening with a piece of crusty Pugliese bread to dip.
Mmmmm-mm.
Made this the other night! Fantastic recipe, loved the roasted leek so much in this! 🙂
Awesome! So glad it went well for you, Ellie – thanks for the feedback! :-]