This creamy, smooth, flavorful carrot and leek soup is perfect when carrots are at their peak. The soup is easy to make and perfect for a light lunch or dinner. Garnished with fresh thyme leaves for an extra touch of flavor and sophistication.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
5 minCOOK
45 minREADY
60 minIngredients
Directions
Tips
This smooth, light soup is perfect for spring when sweet carrots are tender, and you can get pale green leeks. The carrots are the hero and what makes this soup delicious, so try to source flavorful ones if you can. If the sweetness of the carrots is sub-par, add a sweet potato to help sweeten and bring out the flavors.
Carrot pureé
Prepare the stock from your preferred and keep it warm over low heat.
Heat one tablespoon of butter and olive in a soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, ½ teaspoon salt, and a pinch of pepper. Sauté over medium heat until the carrots glisten, caramelize, brown, and release their juices, about 10 minutes.
Add one cup of stock to deglaze as needed, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot to loosen any caramelization of sugars. Add another three cups of the stock and the potatoes; bring the soup to the boil. Cover and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, until the carrots and potatoes are very tender.
Add the remaining two cups of vegetable stock to help cool the mixture, then purée in a blender or processor until silky smooth and return to the pot over low heat.
Leeks
While the soup is cooking, cut the leek in half lengthwise, wash, and thinly slice. Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a sauté pan and add the leeks, garlic, ½ teaspoon salt, pinch of black pepper, and dried thyme. Cover and cook the washed leeks until tender, on medium heat, approximately 5 to 7 minutes; the residual water on the washed leeks will help to wilt/steam them. You may also substitute onions for for the leeks.
Bringing it together
Add the leeks to the carrot purée and continue to simmer, uncovered, over low heat for another 20 to 30 minutes. Add cream if you’re using it, taste it, and adjust the seasoning with salt and a pinch or two of pepper.
Garnish and serve
Garnish each serving with shredded Swiss or Gruyere cheese and sprinkle generously with fresh thyme leaves.
Makes about 8 cups
Comments
This was very nice indeed. I used two leeks that I had to use a pick-axe to free from our frozen garden.
I reserved some of the sauteéd leeks for garnishing (as pictured) and skipped the cheese, which worked out beautifully. With leftovers, I did try garnishing with cheese when reheated and felt it was unnecessary. The soup has enough flavor as it stands, and it didn't seem like the cheese had much of an impact.
I learned some nice techniques when making this recipe, such as adding cooled stock to the hot soup so it could be blended straight away.
The idea of pureéing the soup but cooking the leeks separately and adding them to the silky smooth pureé was brilliant. The little bits of leeks really popped and added just a bit of needed texture to the creaminess.