I can’t even count how many requests I’ve received to make a potato soup. Well, after a 4 month hiatus while focusing on my already Best-Selling Cookbook, I found it only fitting to honor you with the greatest Loaded Potato Leek Soup you’ve ever known. It’s like a cheesy chowder loaded with potatoes and leeks!
Brace yourselves – this is going to change the potato soup game and, one you try it for yourself, you’ll never make it any other way again.
Here’s How I Made It! (scroll to the bottom for the fully-written recipe):
Begin by taking a leek (or two or three)…
…and chop it up like so.
Then take an onion…
…and do the same.
To conclude our chopping, take an array of potatoes…
…and chop ’em up like so (skins off for the Idaho/Russet and skins on for the baby white/Yukon Gold and baby red/bliss).
Now go to the Instant Pot, add in some butter and give it some heat…
…until it’s melted and bubblin’!
Add in the leeks…
…and sauté for a bit until they get browned and crispy.
(Like this!)
Remove them to a bowl and set aside.
Back to the pot, add in the onion, garlic…
…and diced pancetta/bacon.
Sauté for a few minutes longer.
Then, add in some white wine…
…and, as it simmers, deglaze/scrape the bottom of the pot, freeing up any browned areas.
Pour in the broth…
…followed by the potatoes…
..and some thyme and pepper.
Give it all a stir…
…secure the lid and cook at high pressure.
Once done, take a slotted spoon…
…and remove a portion (about half) of the potatoes to a bowl and set aside.
Now it’s time to make this soup sublime. Add in some shredded cheese…
…some Boursin (or cream cheese)…
…and give it a light stir.
Now, it’s time to purée this soup. Take an immersion blender…
…submerge in the pot, and blend until puréed.
Then, add in some heavy cream (or half & half)…
…seasoned salt…
…chives…
…and the crisped leeks from earlier.
Give it all a good stir.
Then, add back in the reserved potatoes..
…giving it a final stir.
Ladle into bowls…
…topping with more cheese, chives and leeks if you wish.
Admire it.
Taste it.
Lose it. This soup is perfection.
Invite your loved ones and friends over to try it and up the game by dunking a soft, hot pretzel into it.
Lick the fingers…
…and stun them, leaving them speechless.
Enjoy!
At the time of this post, Pressure Luck used Better Than Bouillon/Southeastern Mills for all soup bases and bouillon
Instant Pot Potato Leek Soup
There are few things as satisfying as a good, old-fashioned, thick and creamy, loaded potato soup. The only thing better is adding in some crispy bacon and leeks.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) salted butter
- 2-3 leeks, rinsed and roughly chopped (middle section only with tops and root removed)
- 8-10 ounces pancetta or bacon, diced
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 6 cloves minced or pressed garlic (about 2 tablespoons)
- 1/2 cup dry white wine (like a chardonnay)
- 6 cups garlic broth (I used 2 tablespoons Garlic Better Than Bouillon + 6 cups water) or chicken or vegetable broth
- 2 pounds (about 3) Idaho/Russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1″ chunks
- 3 pounds baby red and white potato combo, rinsed, skins on and quartered (you can also use red bliss and Yukon gold potatoes – just leave the rinsed skins on and cut into 1″ chunks)
- 1/2 tablespoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 5.2 ounce package Boursin spreadable herb cheese (any flavor) or 4 ounces of a brick of cream cheese, cut into chunky cubes
- 2 cups shredded cheese of your choice (I used 1 cup gouda and 1 cup sharp cheddar), plus more for topping if desired
- 1 cup heavy cream of half & half
- 1/2 tablespoon seasoned salt (I use Lawry’s)
- 1/3 cup sliced chives, plus more for topping if desired
- Frozen soft, hot pretzels, for dipping (optional)
Instructions
- On the Instant Pot, hit Sauté and Adjust so it’s on the More or High setting. Add the butter and once melted, add in the leeks and sauté for 8-10 minutes until the leeks are crispy, but not burned. Remove the leeks and set aside.
- Add the pancetta, onion and garlic sauté for 5 minutes longer.
- Add the white wine and allow to simmer for 1 minute, deglazing the bottom of the pot to remove any browned spots from the pancetta and butter. Then, add the broth, potatoes, thyme and black pepper. Stir.
- Secure the lid, move the valve/switch to the sealing position and hit Keep Warm/Cancel followed by Manual or Pressure Cook at High Pressure for 8 minutes. Quick release when done.
- When the lid comes off, use a slotted spoon to remove half the potatoes and set aside in a bowl (See the “Jeffrey Sez” section). Stir in the Boursin (or cream cheese) and shredded cheese. Then, take an immersion blender and blend until completely smooth.
- Stir in the heavy cream, seasoned salt, chives, crispy leeks (reserving some for garnish), and the reserved potatoes.
- Ladle into bowls, serve and top with more chives, leeks and cheese as desired.
- Enjoy with a soft, hot pretzel for dipping!
Jeffrey's Tips
In Step 5, you can control the thickness of your soup prior to blending. I like to remove half the potatoes as suggested, but the less you remove, the thicker the soup base will be and the less texture once you add back the reserved potatoes in Step 6. So it’s wiser to start with removing more and then adding them back in until you hit the desired consistency for the soup. If you made it thicker than you wish, you can always thin it out with more cream.
To re-heat any leftovers, add a little cream or milk and stir while heating.
Make it vegetarian by simply leaving out the pancetta/bacon and using a meat-free broth such as garlic broth.
I LOVE this immersion blender.
Louis Fagenson
This recipe is nothing short of amazing! I don’t make soups often, but this will be on high rotation. Thank you!
Darren W Fonseca
Absolutely delicious recipe Jeffrey. Well done!
Greg N.
Jeffrey, this soup is delicious! Be aware that the recipe makes A LOT! That’s a good thing but just to let you know. I got about 16 cups. Good and plenty!
Jennifer
This is my daughters favorite soup ever. I think we must have made this 20 times already. I love how versatile it is and we’ve made it many different ways depending on what we had on hand; no bacon, bacon, pancetta, all the same potatoes, mix of different potatoes, boursin cheese, cream cheese, etc. They all have turned out amazing!
Andrea S
Excellent soup! However, the prep time is WAY more than 5 minutes. It’s a lot of chopping and measuring, so it’s not hard, but it is definitely a lot more than 5 minutes. Will make again on a weekend, knowing the timing better.
Robin
This soup looks amazing, as do all of your recipes. But I’m afraid I would gain 5 pounds if I had a bowl of this soup! How do you manage to maintain a normal weight? What’s your secret?
Alison
So freaking delicious. Even my picky son said I should make it again.
Scott Kleinschmidt
I was thinking about putting a cajun twist on this. What do you think about replacing the bacon with andouille, and using cajun seasoning, instead of seasoned salt?