Creamy Potato and Leek Soup with Bacon Croutons
Looking for an easy homemade soup recipe? Look no further than this Creamy Potato and Leek Soup with Bacon Croutons. Cosy comfort food at its best.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 3 - 4 1x
- Category: Soups
- Method: Pan fry
- Cuisine: French-American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Scale
For the soup:
- 130g diced bacon
- 1 large leek, washed, patted dry and diced
- 2 garlic cloves, sliced
- 2-3 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and diced into cubes
- 500 ml chicken stock
- 75ml double cream
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the croutons:
- 4 slices sourdough bread
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve:
- Chives, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C Fan and line a baking sheet with non-stick baking paper (alternatively, preheat the air fryer to 200C).
- Add the diced bacon to a dry pan and set over a medium heat. Render down until crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove from the pan and tip into a bowl. Set aside.
- Add the diced leek to a pan and sauté off in the bacon fat for about 5-7 minutes, stirring often, or until softened (add a drizzle of olive oil, if necessary). Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring, until fragrant. Tip in the diced potatoes and stir well.
- Pour in the chicken stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes - or until the potatoes are soft and falling apart (the exact time will depend on how small you diced the cubes.
- Meanwhile, make the croutons: dice the bread into chunks and tip into a bowl. Drizzle with the oil and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Toss well to coat. Tip onto the prepared baking sheet and spread in an even layer (or tip into the air fryer in an even layer). Roast for about 10 minutes (or air fry for about 5-7 minutes) until golden and crisp, turning half-way through.
- Once the potatoes have softened, pour in the double cream. Stir well, then simmer for 2-3 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and blitz with a handheld stick blender until smooth. Alternatively, carefully transfer to a food processor and blitz until smooth before returning to the pan. Take care not to over blitz as you don’t want the starch in the potato to make it gloopy. Season to taste - bacon is already quite salty so you are likely just to need freshly ground black pepper.
- Return to the heat to reheat, if necessary.
- Spoon the warm soup into bowls. Sprinkle with the crispy bacon and thinly sliced chives. Scatter with the crunchy croutons and season generously with freshly ground black pepper. Enjoy!
Notes
- Herbs: feel free to add a sprinkling of dried herbs, freshly plucked thyme or finely chopped rosemary with the leeks for a delicious herb twist. You can also add them to the croutons before roasting.
- Make it plant-based: simply use vegetable stock and omit the bacon for a vegetarian Creamy Potato and Leek Soup. I know you can find plant-based bacon, but I am not a huge fan. Use butter or olive oil to fry off the leeks. If you want to make it vegan, opt for a plant-based cream. I like Oatly Creamy Oat.