Hello, autumn. I can’t believe we are meeting again so soon. Despite the pumpkin-crazed area of town that I live in, I somehow avoid that mess. To me, fall means soup. Rich, hearty, chunky SOUP. Like creamy, slow cooker potato leek soup.
Imagine getting home from work, walking in the front door, and being hit with the aroma of slow cooker goodness. Think veggies, garlic, potatoes, and leeks just simmering in your slow cooker … filling your entryway with enticing aromas.
Ahh. All that’s left to do is to change into your sweats and sit out the couch. Ta da! *home*
Dinner. Is. Made. Also, it reheats well – as you can probably tell from the varying bowl colors in these pictures. 🙂
What’s better than coming home on a crisp fall day to a warm dinner that’s practically made itself? Fall is also the best time of year for TV shows, so no one will judge you if you curl up on the couch with a gigantic bowl of soup and watch terrible TV until your heart is content.
Because it’s fall. All is right in the world once again.
[my additional tips!]:
Actual Prep / cook time: 4 hours 30 minutes
Clean-up difficulty: 3
Overall difficulty to make: 2
Overall satisfaction: 8.5
Price range? This dish is under $5 for 5 servings
What I would change next time? Nothing!
For your own version, I recommend:.
- Pouring the chunky soup into a blender and pulsing it to achieve a smoother texture, if you prefer.
- Topping the soup with chives, and a small bit of cheese if you like!
© 2016 : a flavor journal : by sara alvord
slow cooker potato leek soup
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup carrot finely chopped
- 3/4 cup celery finely chopped
- 3/4 cup white onion finely chopped
- 1 cup leeks finely chopped
- 2 large cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp. salt divided
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 2 large russet potatoes peeled and chopped into thin slices or 1" cubes
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup half and half
- additional salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Set slow cooker to high.
- Melt butter over medium heat in a large saute pan.
- Add carrot, cook 3-4 minutes, or until tender.
- Add celery and onion, cook another 2-3 minutes.
- Add leeks and garlic, and cook an additional 2-3 minutes, until fragrant and tender.
- Season with a 1/4 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Stir to coat all vegetables with salt and pepper, then transfer entire contents of pan to slow cooker.
- Wipe any excess liquid from underneath and from the sides of of the saute pan, then return the same pan back to the stovetop, still on medium heat.
- Pour in chicken broth, and allow it to heat through to a simmer - about 3-4 minutes.
- Add 1/4 tsp. salt to chicken broth and potatoes, then allow to simmer for another 3-4 minutes.
- Transfer entire contents of the pan to the slow cooker, directly on top of the vegetables.
- Cook on high for four hours. After this time is up, remove the lid. Using a potato masher, proceed to mash the potatoes down to as small of bits as possible. Try to achieve a soup consistency.
- Pour in half and half one quarter cup at a time, still mashing as you pour it in. Once all half and half is in, stir to fully combine all ingredients. Add additional salt and pepper to taste, if necessary.
- Serve hot! Top with chopped chives. (I also added a touch of shredded cheese... 🙂 )
Notes
For a much chunkier version, simply mash the contents directly in the slow cooker (as I did), but only to your desired consistency. The carrots and potatoes will be the vegetables that stay prominently chunkier!
Tried this recipe?
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