vegetarian soup – Living Trader Joe's

Simmering Pot of Potato Leek Soup

Here is a quick recipe to make a Creamy Potato Leek Soup.

It is one of our favorites. We were inspired to make this soup for two reasons: 1. A cool spring day in Tucson, and 2. We found the leeks at Trader Joe’s when we were shopping today. YEAH! Today really was a great day to enjoy this soup- it was windy and cloudy and cool- down to 65!

Also when we say “creamy” soup, we mean “smooth and creamy” texture, not with lots of milk or cream added – although, you certainly could add milk or cream to this recipe if you like. We like to add sour cream to the top of the soup in the serving bowl sometimes and swirl it around with our spoons as we eat Yummz!.

What you need/ Basic Ingredients (4 servings + leftovers):

Trader Joe’s Trimmed Leeks
Trader Joe’s Chicken broth or Vegetable broth (enough liquid to cover the potatoes and leeks)
Potatoes- we used 4 medium sized red skinned potatoes
Garlic- Trader Joe’s Garlic
Olive Oil, Salt and Pepper, or Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute

How to:

1. Wash the leeks to remove any dirt (see previous post-Trader Joe’s Trimmed Leeks)

2. Add a couple of spoons of olive oil to a deep pan and cook the leeks and garlic for a few minutes.

3. Add the potatoes and broth to cover the vegetables

4. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to simmer and let cook until the potatoes are soft and falling apart.

5. Let cool off the heat for 30 minutes.

6. Blend the soup in small batches in your blender- Use caution when blending hot ingredients. You may need to add more stock or water if the soup is too thick.

7. Season with salt and pepper, reheat if you need to and serve.

Finished Creamy Potato Leek Soup

Variations:

You can serve this soup cold with a spoonful of sour cream or yogurt.
Add leftover vegetables to the pot before blending for a new flavor.
Garnish soup with chives, green onions or parsley.
Sprinkle with bacon or ham pieces

What will you add to your soup?

Trader Joe's Trimmed Leeks

You know how there is just SO many items at Trader Joe’s? And even thought you shop at the store all the time (and maybe at the exact same locations) you STILL see new stuff?

Here is our latest find: Trader Joe’s Trimmed Leeks

We love the taste of leeks- if you don’t know about leeks, they are a bit like onions, but they also have a hint of garlic to them. They are not overpowering in any way, so they make a good addition to soups or other vegetable dishes.

Our favorite way to eat them is in a Potato Leek Soup!

Now leeks are tricky vegetables. They are grown in sandy soil, which then gets into their many layers and can get trapped if you are not careful. So please follow the directions below to make sure you get all the dirt and sand out of the leeks before cooking.

How to clean Leeks:

1. Cut off the root ends and slice the leeks the long way.

Leeks cut and ready to wash

2. Cut the leeks into 1 inch pieces, or whatever size you need for your recipe.

3. Rinse leeks in a bowl of cool water, rubbing the pieces together between your hands to separate the layers.

Washing leeks in cool water to remove grit

4. Scoop out the leeks into a strainer, colander or onto a clean kitchen towel to drain. Be careful not to disturb any of the dirt/sand at the bottom of the bowl. When the bowl is empty, wash away the dirt/sand.

Cleaned leeks ready for cooking

5. Rinse the leek pieces a second time, in the clean bowl, and scoop out into the strainer.

6. Now the leeks are clean and ready to use.

This does seem like a long list just to get ready to cook with leeks. But it does not take all that long.

We are going to use our leeks in a Potato Leek Soup- What are your favorite ways to cook with leeks?

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How to make Potato Leek Soup

Trader Joe’s Trimmed Leeks

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