Potato Leek Soup

This was our meat free meal for the week and it was a hit! My 5 year old finished his first bowl in 4 minutes flat, asked for another bowl, which he finished in 6 minutes, and then informed me that he wanted it for lunch the next day. My children NEVER ask for leftovers. I'm usually the only person in my family who will eat them and as such, they typically last at least a week or until they have to be thrown away.

This soup was inexpensive, hearty, and relatively quick to put together. Cleaning the leeks takes a little longer than cleaning, say a cucumber, but aside from that, it's pretty fast. The leek flavor is pretty subtle. If you didn't know there was leek in it, it mostly tastes like cream of potato soup. But if you know it's there, it lends a nice subtle flavor that I really love. The only complaint I had was from my husband who said he wished it weren't quite as creamy. I did blend it pretty well with my immersion blender. But that's easily remedied by not blending it as much, or setting some aside before you blend it up. Either way you like it, it's good soup.

Source: Adapted from Allrecipes
Feeds 6

3 leeks, cut in half, and thinly sliced (only use the white and light green parts of the leek; cleaning instructions here)
1 small to medium onion, finely chopped
3 Tbsp. butter (or olive oil)
4 cups diced potatoes
1 quart chicken stock (or vegetable broth)
1-2 cups cream (I only used 1 1/2 cups and I used milk to cut down on the calories. The more milk you use, the more potato and leek flavor you'll lose)
Salt
Pepper
Thyme (optional)

1. Melt butter in a large saucepan and add leeks and onion. Saute until tender and translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add some salt and pepper.

2. Add the potatoes and continue to saute, for a couple minutes.

3. Add the chicken stock and season with more salt and pepper.

4. Bring to a boil, and simmer, until the potatoes are tender.

5. Remove from heat, and using an immersion blender, blend soup until it's creamy or has reached your desired consistency. Alternately, set aside 1-2 cups of soup and blend the rest. Then add the reserved chunky soup back in.

6. Return to heat, and with heat on low, stir in cream and thyme. Add any additional salt and pepper to taste.