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Rustic Potato Leek Soup

This Rustic Potato Leek Soup is hearty, cozy, and packed with comforting flavors. Naturally gluten-free and vegan (no cream!), this chunky soup is perfect for chilly days. Customize it with your favorite toppings like croutons, Parmesan, or fresh chives for an extra touch of flavor.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: Main Course, Soup
Cuisine: American, French
Keyword: chunky soup, comforting soup, gluten-free soup, potato leek soup, rustic soup, vegan soup
Servings: 8
Calories: 180kcal

Ingredients

For the Soup:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
  • 1 medium white onion peeled and diced
  • 3 leeks sliced into ½-inch half-moons (white and light green parts only)
  • 1 rib celery thinly sliced
  • 5 cloves garlic minced
  • ½ cup dry white wine
  • 1 ¼ pounds Yukon Gold potatoes cut into bite-sized chunks
  • 6 cups vegetable stock
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 2 bay leaves
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne or less, to taste
  • Fine sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Optional Toppings:

  • Homemade croutons
  • Grated Parmesan
  • Chopped fresh chives

Instructions

Sauté the Vegetables:

  • Heat olive oil (or butter) in a large stockpot over medium-high heat.
  • Add the diced onion and sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.
  • Stir in the leeks, celery, and garlic, and continue cooking for 3 more minutes, stirring frequently.

Deglaze and Add Potatoes and Broth:

  • Pour in the white wine and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
  • Add the potatoes, vegetable stock, thyme sprigs, bay leaves, and cayenne. Stir to combine.

Simmer the Soup:

  • Bring the soup to a simmer over medium heat.
  • Once simmering, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.

Season the Soup:

  • Remove and discard the bay leaves and thyme stems.
  • Taste and season with salt and black pepper as needed.

Serve:

  • Serve warm, garnished with croutons, Parmesan, or fresh chives. Enjoy!

Notes

Chunky Texture: This soup is meant to be rustic and chunky. If you prefer a smoother consistency, blend part or all of the soup with an immersion blender.
Wine Substitution: If you prefer not to use wine, replace it with additional vegetable stock.
Toppings: Homemade croutons, grated Parmesan, or fresh chives add a great finishing touch, but feel free to experiment with other toppings.