Compared to last year, we’ve had such a mild winter here in Calgary. After a weekend of freezing weather and snow, the sunshine is right back with balmy temperatures and warm Chinook winds that melt all the snow away.
This kind of Canadian winter I can almost live with. Well, almost indeed. In my perfect climate winter doesn’t exist.
Although there are a few things that people associate with winter, that I would miss. Like cuddling up on the couch with a hot mug of cocoa. And heart and belly warming comfort foods. Soup falls into this category for me – and this creamy vegetable leek soup is a perfect example of comfort food.
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I absolutely LOVE soups. Light or rich. Creamy or chunky. All are warmly welcomed on my tongue and in my tummy.
When I made these Cheese Sticks with Leek a couple of weeks ago, I was reminded of a vegetable leek soup from my childhood. Without much to go by, I set out to recreate it. In my memory the only vegetables in the soup were leeks and potatoes, together with ground meat (or was it meatballs?) and probably a lot of cream.
My own version is a little different – optimized, if I may say so. There is no ground meat, but we start out by crisping up some bacon. The bacon fat is then used to pre-cook the leek and corn. The crispy bacon bits are used as final topping later.
To the softened leek and corn, we add diced potatoes and carrots. Adding corn and carrots as additional vegetables (compared to the soup from my childhood) makes for a great colour and texture contrast. With only leek and potatoes the soup was rather dull, greyish looking.
Since this is a half creamy – half chunky soup, we are only adding as much broth as needed to cover the vegetables. Simmer until soft, then puree 1/3 of the soup; the rest remains chunky. I just used my blender. You can also use a food processor, just be careful not to add above the “liquid fill line”. There will be soup all over your counter otherwise.
(I imagine you could also use an immersion blender, if you own one – I don’t. You can puree parts of the soup right in the pot, which means less dishes. Yay! Just make sure to leave plenty of chunks; all depending on preference.)
Add the puree back (if not using immersion blender) and season the soup. Start with 1/4 teaspoon each of nutmeg, oregano and black pepper; then add more to taste (I ended up with probably about 1/2 teaspoon each). For a little heat I also used 1/4 teaspoon of ground cayenne pepper, but this is totally optional.
The end result is a delicious bowl of warming comfort food. It is perfectly creamy (without any dairy added) with hearty chunks to bite. Add the bacon as a topping on each bowl. I also like green onion slices and a few rings of raw leek (if you would like to try that, make sure to save a few in the beginning).
Leftovers of this vegetable leek soup make wonderful lunches and stay good in the fridge for several days.
- 3 strips (3 ounces) of bacon, cut into small pieces
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 leek stalks
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
- 4 cups broth
- nutmeg
- oregano
- black pepper
- cayenne pepper (optional)
- In a large soup pot heat the oil and fry the bacon pieces on medium heat until crispy. Lift out of the pot and set aside.
- Cut off the root end and dark green tops of the leek. We only want the white and light green part. Slice open lengthwise and clean thoroughly (leeks tend to trap dirt in the layers). Then cut finely.
- Add the leek, garlic and frozen corn to the pot and cook on medium for a few minutes until the leek has softened (and corn should be thawed). Now add the potato and carrot dices and pour broth over. All the vegetables should be covered.
- Bring to a boil, then turn to low and simmer until potatoes and carrots are soft (about 20 minutes).
- Puree about ⅓ of the soup in a blender. Add pureed soup back into the pot. Season to taste with nutmeg, oregano, black pepper (about ½ teaspoon each) and cayenne pepper (1/4 teaspoon), if you would like some heat.
- Served topped with the bacon pieces, green onion slices or even some raw leek rings.
This is very delicious soup. So way to make.
I love this! I am writing vegetarian recipe round ups on my blog in 2018 (to encourage people to try meatless monday) and would love to feature you. You can check out my blog (for beginner environmentalists) at sunshineguerrilla.com. Is it alright if I share this link to your recipe?
Delicious! And filling. Wouldn’t change a thing. We live in New Mexico and I smiled when I saw you blog from Calgary… Our daughter is attending U Calgary. Thanks for a yummy dinner idea the whole family enjoyed.
Sorry Soledad, I must have missed this comment somehow. So great to hear your family enjoyed this recipe and I hope your daughter is having a good time in Calgary. Is she back home for the summer?
Made this soup tonight and it was delicious. Warm, filling, and comforting, it was the perfect winter meal. Thanks so much for taking the time to clarify about the potatoes. I used russet and the soup was very creamy, as you said it would be.
Thanks again!
Wonderful Wendy! Thank you so much for coming back and leaving you feedback
What kind of potatoes? Russet, red, Yukon gold?
Russet are perfect for this as my goal is for the soup to thicken and get creamy without any dairy. If you prefer the pieces of potato to retain some bite and shape, use Yukon instead. Since you’ll be mashing some up for the ‘creamy factor’ anyway
I used chicken broth, but vegetable broth works just fine too.
What kind of broth did you use? Vegetable?
Could I use hot Italian sausage instead of bacon??
Absolutely! I think that would make a delicious flavor combination 🙂
Do you think this recipe would be alright without the bacon? I am vegetarian and would need to omit it.
Totally fine without bacon. Just use a little vegetable oil to sauté the veggies in.
Should you cover the soup when it is simmering or leave it uncovered? It looks delicious! Can’t wait to try it!
Good question 🙂 It should be covered. I will update the recipe.
Is there a slow cooker version of this recipe? 🙂
Hi Emily, I don’t have a slow cooker version posted anywhere but I think you could easily modify this recipe. After sautéing the leek, garlic and corn in step 3 you could place everything (other veggies and broth) in a slow cooker for 3-4 hrs on high or 6-8 on low. After that you can proceed with the recipe as written.
This soup looks so velvety and chock full of delicious veggies – beautiful!!
Thank you soo much! 😀
Firstly, the photos look amazing! Secondly, I LOOOOOVE soup! Especially hearty, chunky spice laden soups. Finally, BACON. I am so on!
Aww…thanks so much Jacquee. I was really dreading to photograph this soup due to recent soup picture fails. So all these comments really surprise me and mean the world!!
I’m with you … I Love soups! I eat them any time- I live in Florida so we eat soup even when it’s summer since there aren’t many cold days. I love leeks so I can’t wait to make this. The photos are beautiful!
Awww…thank you so much. I find soup can be so difficult to make look good. It was a little easier this time because this one is creamy and chunky at the same time.
And I can eat soup any time of year too. When we lived in Thailand (always hot) I fell in love with some of their curry soups.
I am too a soup person. This looks soul satisfying and delicious, Regina.
Aww…thanks Angie 🙂