Servings: 8
Calories: 120kcal
Equipment
- Large stockpot
- Hand-held immersion blender, food processor, or blender
Ingredients
- 5 slices bacon, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
- 3 medium leeks white and light green parts only, roughly chopped (about 4 cups)
- 3 to 4 Yukon Gold potatoes peeled and roughly chopped into 1/2-inch pieces ( about 4 cups)
- 4 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 tsp fresh thyme, or 1/2 tsp dried
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup heavy cream (optional)
- sprigs of fresh thyme for garnish
Instructions
- Cook the chopped bacon in a large stockpot on medium heat until crispy, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside. Note: you will need approximately 2 tablespoons of bacon fat for the leeks. If your bacon is very fatty, remove any excess fat. If you are using a turkey or chicken bacon with very little fat you can add butter instead.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the leeks to the pot. Cook in the bacon fat until soft and translucent, but not browned, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add the diced potatoes, stock, salt, pepper, and teaspoon of thyme to the pot. Turn up the heat and bring to a boil. Cover and turn the heat down to low. Simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.
- For a heartier, chunky soup, remove 1 1/2 - 2 cups of the potato and leeks before you purée the soup.Purée the soup with a hand-held immersion blender until smooth. (Alternatively, use a food processor or a blender to purée the soup, then return the soup to the pot. If using a blender be sure not to fill the jar more than halfway; leave the hole in the lid open and cover loosely with a dish towel to allow the heat to escape)If you reserved some of the potato and leeks, add them to the puréed soup and stir through. Note: The soup can be made ahead up to this point. Let cool and refrigerate in an airtight container up to 2-3 days. When ready to serve bring to a simmer and continue with the following steps.
- Add the cream ( if using), and half of the crisped bacon. Let the mixture come back up to just a simmer and cook for another 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. If soup is too thick add water or stock to thin it.
- Serve garnished with some freshly ground pepper, bacon bits and a sprig or two of thyme.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cup | Calories: 120kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 122mg | Potassium: 436mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 678IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 1mg
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