Irish Vegetable Potato Leek Soup
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Irish Vegetable Potato Leek Soup is a hearty bowl of delicious comfort. Perfect for brisk days, it’s a healthy soup that will warm your toes.
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Why I Love This Irish Soup
Living on the Pacific coast, as I do, bowls of warm soup are a fall and winter standby. Steaming hot, they are often packed with vegetables and aromatics that truly soothe the soul.
Potato soup, though, does something a bit more for me.
My Grandmother O’Hara was known for her potato soup—and, truly, her soup in general. She was an amazing cook and grew a large family from her humble yet hearty food.
I always think of her when I make potato soup, in all its variations, like Cream of Potato Soup or Slow-Cooker Cream of Potato Soup.
This soup combines the best of vegetable soup and cream of potato soup. It’s rustic, slightly pureed, leaving chunks of delicious vegetables in a creamy base.
Plus, it’s a rather quick and easy soup to make with 6 or 7 ingredients and ready in around 30 minutes.
Irish Vegetable Potato Leek Soup Ingredients
Here are the handful of ingredients you’ll need to make this Potato Leek Soup. The recipe card at the bottom of this post provides specific ingredient measurements.
You may notice a parsnip in the ingredients. I had one that needed to be used, so I added it to the soup. Any root vegetable additions always work well in this soup.
If you love parsnips, you might want to check out my Cream of Parsnip Soup!
Back to the ingredients for this soup:
- Butter
- Medium onion
- Leek
- Russet potatoes
- Vegetable stock
- Carrots
- Celery
- Cream or half and half, which is optional
How to Make Vegetable Potato Leek Soup
Melt the butter in a medium-sized Dutch oven.
Step 1: Saute the Vegetables
Once melted, add the onions, leeks, and potatoes. Saute for 5 minutes or until softened and beginning to brown.
Step 2: Add Stock and Cook
Add the vegetable stock, water, carrots, and celery. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are fork-tender.
I like to reserve chunks of carrots and celery to garnish the top of each bowl. But that’s completely optional. You need to do this before the next step if desired.
Step 3: Puree the Soup
Puree the soup until it’s smooth using a blender, in batches, or an immersion blender. Stir in the cream, if desired.
Benefits of Potato Leek Soup
The Irish say that a good bowl of potato soup will get you through the winter.
And they have something there.
Health Benefits of Leeks
Leeks are a member of the onion, shallot, scallions, garlic, and chives family.
- Nutrient-dense: high in Vitamin A, important for “vision, immune function, reproduction, and cell communication.”
- Packed with antioxidants.
- Promotes healthy digestion.
Health Benefits of Potatoes
Potatoes are healthier than you may know. They are rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
“Studies have linked potatoes and their nutrients to a variety of impressive health benefits, including improved blood sugar control, reduced heart disease risk, and higher immunity. They may also improve digestive health and combat signs of aging.”
Can I Make This Soup Vegan?
With a couple of simple substitutions, this soup can become naturally vegan. Swap the butter for olive oil or coconut oil. The optional cream can be skipped or add a non-dairy cream instead.
What to Serve with Potato Leek Soup
Greens are always a nice compliment to a hearty bowl of soup. But so are either thick slices of a rustic country loaf or an Irish Soda Bread.
More Soup Recipes to Try
More Irish Recipes You Might Also Like
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Irish Potato Leek Soup
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 leek cleaned and thinly sliced into half moons (white and light green parts)
- 3 russet potatoes peeled and diced
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 2 cups water
- 2 carrots chopped
- 3 celery ribs chopped
- 1/2 cup half and half optional
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a medium-size Dutch oven. Once melted add the onions, leeks, and potatoes. Saute for 5 minutes, or until softened and beginning to brown.
- Add the vegetable stock, water, carrots, and celery. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are fork-tender.
- I like to reserve chunks of carrots and celery to garnish the top of each bowl. But that's completely optional. You need to do this before the next step if desired.
- Puree the soup until it's smooth using a blender, in batches, or an immersion blender. Stir in the cream, if desired. Serve with greens and Irish Soda Bread.
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Hello Stephanie ,
Loved the Irish Potato Leek soup recipe. Reminded me of Portuguese Caldo verde soup. Mashed instead of purée, died some thinly sliced cabbage and spinach.
Slainte!
You’re right! I hadn’t thought about Caldo Verde Green Soup but it does resemble it. Maybe add some sausage? Yum. I also love the idea of adding cabbage and spinach. This recipe is so versatile and easy to tweak and make it different every time. I’m so glad you liked it!