Creamy White Bean, Potato, & Leek Soup
SERVES: 6 | PREP TIME: 10 MIN. | COOK TIME: 30 MIN.
Soups are my saving grace.
They're easy to make, and can handle whatever you throw at (or rather, in) them. I love that. Especially on the days leading up to a grocery trip. You know the kind..when your fridge is a hodgepodge, and nothing makes sense for a proper meal. Go for soup. Trust me.
A good rule of thumb when creating your own soup is to grab an onion and some garlic, 2-3 veggies (bonus for adding leafy greens) from your fridge, a nice box of broth and a starchy non-perishable like beans or pasta from your pantry, fresh herbs from your garden (dried if it's what you have), and good ole' s+p. Start with the basics and move on as you get more comfortable. You can always zjoosh it up with butter, parmesan, nutritional yeast, or a squeeze of lemon.
This recipe came about in a very similar way. We received the last box from our CSA and we had fresh Maine potatoes, and tons of leeks piling up. I grabbed a box of beans from the pantry and went to town. I added some bread to add a little bit more for a starchy thickener, and blended it up to create the creaminess. No milk is used, but feel free to omit the butter and make a vegan dish. If you're a meat eater, I highly recommend adding chicken or bone broth instead of vegetable broth. It really rounds out the flavor.
Creamy White Bean, Potato, & Leek Soup
SERVES: 6
PREP TIME: 10 MIN. | COOK TIME: 30 MIN.
INSTRUCTIONSCook the following in the first half of the butter in 2 minute increments; onion, garlic, leeks, white beans, potatoes.
Add the remaining butter, stock, thyme, and seasoning. Bring to a boil and then down to a simmer for 15 minutes
Add the first half of cubed bread, and let the bread absorb the soup. Remove the thyme and discard.
Split the soup in half, and blend it in a blender or with an immersion blender. Add the creamy blend back to the soup and stir.
Garnish with the remaining crispy bread.
Enjoy!
An easy to make, mid-autumn soup. This soup can easily be made dairy-free by omitting butter and replacing with 2 tablespoons of oil to cook the vegetables. If you are not looking for a vegetarian dish, I recommend using chicken stock or bone broth in place of vegetable broth.
INGREDIENTS1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, minced
2 large leeks, rinsed & sliced
2 russet potatoes, cubed
1 can white beans, rinsed & strained
1 stick butter, cut into quarters and portioned in half
32 oz. vegetable broth
6 sprigs fresh thyme
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. white pepper
1 tsp. black pepper
2 cups cubed and toasted boule or sourdough bread