ramyaramesh3007Nothing hits like a creamy, hearty potato & leek soup during chilly days – topped with spiced crispy chickpeas and chives for the ultimate soup-erb soup!
Leek is not a common ingredient in my pantry, but every time I use it I think about why it’s not! Leeks are underrated and have amazing nutritional benefits. They are are high in iron and vitamins while helping to improve digestion. They subtle sweet flavour is what draws me to them as they are not as pungent as they counterpart cousins like onions and garlic.
Leeks paired with potatoes in soup form is debated to be either a French or Irish classic. After reading up, it was interesting to learn that potatoes were majorly hyped in France (late 18th century onwards) – thanks to Antoine-Augustin Parmentier who was a huge advocate of potatoes as a food source. This subsequently led to surge in potato recipes becoming widespread in the 19th century.
This easy recipe incorporates just a few ingredients but what makes this a little unique is the crispy topper – spiced crispy chickpeas. It’s one of my favourite ways to prepare chickpeas other than hummus but I may be a little biased because I love chickpeas in all forms.
What Do I Need?
This recipe is simple and gluten free. With a short ingredient list and a quick preparation time, you can make this soup easily during chilly days.
- leeks – you can use both the white and green parts for this recipe
- potatoes – yukon or russets potatoes work really well!
- vegetable stock cubes – to add flavour. I always try to use organic ones!
- herbs – thyme and bay leaves (fresh thyme is great but dried thyme works too)
- plant milk – to add some creaminess I like to add soy milk! But any plant milk works, even coconut if you want extra creaminess and fattiness
- garnish – olive oil and chives (+ crispy chickpeas)
Vegan Potato & Leek Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp vegan butter
- 2 large leeks
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2-3 medium potatoes
- 3 cups water
- 2 cubes vegetable stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp dried thyme (sub 2 sprigs fresh thyme)
- 1/2 tsp salt if needed
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 cup soy milk
- chivea garnish
Spiced Crispy Chickpeas
- 1 can chickpeas
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp dried herbs
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1-2 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200C.
- Drain and rinse your chickpeas from the can. Add them onto a baking tray, add your seasonings and coat the chickpeas evenly.
- Bake chickpeas for about 15-17 minutes until they are crispy, tossing them halfway.
- Chop the ends of the leeks (there might be dirt stuck between the layers) and chop them nicely.
- Peel potatoes and dice them into cubes. Smash the cloves of garlic with a knife.
- To a pot, add vegan butter. Once it melts, add the leeks and saute for a few minutes. Add garlic and saute for a minute more.
- Add your potatoes, 3 cups of water (2 cups if you want a thicker soup) and add your seasonings – vegetable stock cube, thyme, black pepper and salt (if needed).
- Boil for 10 minutes until potatoes are fork tender.
- Add in your soy milk and mix well. Use an immersion blender and blend the soup until smooth.
- Top the soup with crispy chickpeas, olive oil and chives. Serve!