Slow Cooker Potato Leek Soup with Cheddar
This Slow Cooker Potato Leek Soup with Cheddar is a comforting vegetarian meal. This soup is easy to make in your crock pot and the leftovers freeze well. This potato leek soup is incredibly smooth and creamy, yet it’s made without cream. You can omit the cheese and replace the butter with olive oil for a dairy-free version.
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Often with kids it’s all about how you present things. Take this soup for example. When I served it to my french fry-loving kids, I called it french fry soup. Potatoes are one of the main ingredients, after all.
My 5-year-old ate his bowl of “french fry soup” and asked for a second!
This same logic applies to things like Green Monster Smoothies. The name Green Monster makes an otherwise suspicious-looking smoothie something fun! Kids also love tomato soup.
I believe that it’s important to teach kids why they should eat healthy foods – to help them grow, help them learn, give them energy for playing, etc. But I also think there is a place for fun and sneaky veggies – like the spinach in a green smoothie or a hidden veggie pasta sauce.
The flavor of this Slow Cooker Potato Leek Soup with Cheddar is mild and the creamy texture appeals to kids and adults alike. If you puree your soup well (I use my Vitamix blender), it will turn out ultra smooth and creamy. There’s no need to add any cream to the finished soup, as it is plenty creamy without it. The potato helps to make this slow cooker soup creamy, just like in my Broccoli Cheese Soup.
Tips for making this Slow Cooker Potato Leek Soup with Cheddar:
- As with most soup recipes, this recipe is very forgiving. Don’t worry too much about the exact measurements of the vegetables.
- You will start by cooking the leeks and garlic in some butter and olive oil on the stove. While it may be tempting to skip this step and just put everything in the slow cooker from the start, I don’t recommend doing so. Cooking the aromatics on the stove helps to soften them and enhances the flavor of the finished soup.
- You can freeze extra potato leek soup in individual portions for quick lunches later on.
- If you are looking for a stove top potato soup, try my best creamy potato soup recipe. Slow Cooker Potato Soup is also another easy way to prepare potato soup.
Slow Cooker Potato Leek Soup with Cheddar
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2-3 leeks, white and light green parts only, sliced into ยฝ-inch pieces and washed well
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 ยฝ pounds russet potatoes, 3-4 medium, peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- ยฝ teaspoon salt
- ยผ teaspoon pepper
- 4 cups low sodium vegetable stock or broth
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- additional shredded cheddar and sliced green onions for serving, if desired
Instructions
- Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the leeks and cook, stirring, until slightly softened and lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Transfer to the slow cooker.
- Add the potatoes, thyme sprigs, salt, pepper and broth to the slow cooker.
- Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3-4 hours, until potatoes are soft.
- Remove and discard the thyme stems (most of the leaves will have fallen off into the soup). Blend until smooth either with an immersion blender or by transferring soup in batches to a counter-top blender.
- Stir in the shredded cheddar cheese and serve.
Notes
- For a dairy-free soup, omit the cheese and replace the butter with olive oil.
I made the Slow Cooker Potato Leek Soup yesterday leaving out the dairy (butter & cheese) and it was delicious! My husband and I usually eat bold, spicy food but this soup is great. Thanks for the recipe.