My kids absolutely love this thick and creamy soup served with shredded cheddar cheese and some crusty bread on a chilly autumn day.

This potato leek soup has all the hug-you-from-the-inside belly-warming comforts of cool weather-cooking rolled into one — a bit of butter, slightly caramelized leeks and onions, creamy gold potatoes,  delicate herbal notes, and black pepper for spice, coming together for a more-ish vegetarian/vegan soup that has all the comforting creaminess that you crave in a hearty potato soup, yet it is made with no cream.

Most days I bake an extra potato or two just so that I make this soup the next day with the leftover baked potatoes. Best of all, this easy potato soup recipe uses under 6 ingredients with ingredients you already have in the pantry or freezer (read my notes on how I freeze leeks), it can be served chunky or smooth, and is gluten-free, dairy-free, and naturally vegetarian/vegan!

This recipe is for the Instant Pot, but if you don’t have one, you can just simmer everything for 20 minutes on the stovetop, until the leeks and potatoes are fork-tender, and have had chance to soften before blending it up.

Ingredients:

• 2 large russet potatoes peeled and chopped or leftover baked potatoes
• 2 Tbsp. butter (or olive oil/vegan butter)
• 1/4  white onion diced
• 1 leek medium to large
• 1 clove garlic crushed
• 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 1.5 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper
• ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 tsp herbs de Provence (optional)
• Fresh ground black pepper and chives for garnish
• Grated cheddar cheese (optional)
  

Instructions:

1. Peel and cut the onion and potatoes into chunks, soak the potatoes in cold tap water.
2. Cut only the white and light green parts the leek into rings and then put into a bowl of water pushing the leek rings apart so any dirt that caught in between loosens up, let it sit for 10 minutes; then drain the water;  swish them around so any dirt comes out, drain then rinse and repeat until all dirt is removed.
3. Turn the Instant Pot onto SAUTÉ mode, and when hot add the butter
4. Then add the onion and leeks and sauté for 8 minutes until they soften; then add the garlic (herbs de Provence); sauté for another minute.
5. Drain and add the potatoes along with broth, salt, and pepper.
6. Close the lid and secure the valve to the SEALING position.
7. Select the Manual Pressure Cooker setting button to high pressure and set the time to 8 minutes, alternatively- select the SOUP button for 8 minutes.
8. Once cooking time is completed, do a  QUICK RELEASE on the sealing valve.
9. Either use an immersion blender to blend the soup or transfer to a Vitamix and blend on soup mode for 4 minutes.
   

Garnish with fresh ground black pepper and chives

Alternatively, garnish with grated cheddar cheese for kids.

Notes

• Potatoes are a natural thickener so your soup should be thick enough, and this soup comes out thick and creamy when blended well.
  
  
• Use gold potatoes for the best creamy texture.
  
  
• Make vegetarian potato soup- Use vegetable broth
  
  
• Make vegan potato soup: Replace the butter with olive oil. Use vegetable broth rather than chicken broth
  
  
• I buy leeks from the farmers market, and once they are clean, I give it a good spin in the salad spinner, so all the water drains off, and then stick them into a Ziploc bag, drizzle some olive oil and close the bag. Massage the oil onto the leeks, flatten the bag and stick in the freezer.  When I want to add them to soups, I just snap off a good-sized piece and add it directly to the pan with the butter or oil (it may splatter so be careful).