Peppery, bright green watercress adds a touch of spring to a classic leek and potato soup. If you can make this the night before it’s needed, so much the better, as the flavors improve from standing overnight. Add the all the watercress when reheating. Photos by Hannah Kaminsky.
Leek and Potato Soup with Watercress
Peppery, bright green watercress adds a touch of spring to a classic leek and potato soup. If you can make this the night before it’s needed, so much the better, as the flavors improve from standing overnight.
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Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
- 3 large leeks white and palest green parts only, chopped and rinsed well
- 4 large potatoes peeled and diced
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 vegetable bouillon cubes
- 1 cup packed watercress leaves
- 1 to 1 ½ cups unsweetened rice milk or other nondairy milk
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or more, to taste
- Watercress leaves for garnish
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large soup pot. Add the leeks and sauté over medium heat, covered, until they just begin to turn golden. Stir occasionally.
- Add the potatoes, bay leaf, bouillon cubes, and just enough water to cover. Bring to a simmer, then simmer gently, covered, until the potatoes are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Mash some of the potatoes against the side of the pot with the side of a spoon. Add the watercress and rice milk and simmer over very low heat for 10 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper.
- Allow to stand off the heat for an hour or two before serving, or let cool and refrigerate overnight. Heat through before serving. Stir in the parsley. If needed, adjust the consistency with more rice milk, then adjust the seasonings.
- Serve, garnishing each bowlful with a generous amount of watercress.
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Nutrition information
Per serving: Calories: 273 Total fat: 4g Protein: 5g; Carbs: 53g; Sodium: 432mg
- Here are more recipes for onions, garlic, and leeks.
- Here are more recipes for Leafy Spring Greens.
- Explore other delicious vegan soup recipes at Soulful Soups.
Susie says
I have a similar recipe which uses spinach as the green, and i spice it with tarragon, curry and a bit of soy sauce. i use soy milk, but find that it tends to curdle in the cooking. is rice milk less sensitive?? maybe i will try that next time. thanks Nava
Nava says
Susie, I much prefer the more neutral flavor of plain rice milk in soups. It doesn't curdle, and really blends nicely with all the flavors.
Rian says
I'm not a fan of leeks, but there are so many recipes I wish to try that use them. Is there a good alternative to leeks that provides the same texture?
Nava says
You can use ordinary onions (or red or Vidalia onions); though I wonder if it's the onion-y taste of leeks or just the texture...without any onion in the base, this simple, mild soup would be rather flat. Hope that helps!
Angie says
HI! I saw you on "Niki's Simple Life" meet and greet. Your photos are stunning! I've been blogging less than 6 months and my photos are definitely progressing, but I still have so much room to grow! Any suggestions? Do you use any online editing programs for your photos? Again, these look amazing!