I have said it before we love soup at our house. But I must confess, I am a bit of a soup snob. I like homemade soup. I don’t like canned soup, I don’t like soup from the frozen food section, and I don’t like soup from a package. Although I must say that recently when I was sick, my husband made me a bowl of Campbell’s Chicken with Rice soup that tasted like manna from heaven! But suffice it to say, when not on my death bed I prefer homemade soup.
I think folks shy away from making homemade soup because they think it’s an all day task. I am here to tell you it doesn’t have to be. One of the best ways to save time with soup making is to buy the soup stock. When I have time, I like to make my own, but often I rely on a good quality store-bought low sodium chicken or beef stock. The one thing to be careful with is the sodium content of store-bought stocks and soups. With a good soup you don’t need to rely on salt for flavor. Same holds true for a good stock.
I have been making variations of this Leek and Potato soup for years. Recently I started pureeing the leek and onion mixture before adding it to the potatoes and ham. The pureed veggies give the soup an almost creamy texture and a nice body. Everyone likes a nice body, don’t they? I also find that pureeing the veggies makes it easier to omit the cream without missing it too much. If you like you can just make the soup without pureeing the veggies for a more rustic look and texture.
Easy Leek Potato, and Ham Soup.
2 quarts good quality low-sodium Chicken Stock* (see variation at end)
4 cups Potatoes, peeled and cubed (also great with quartered small new potatoes in the spring)
2 cups chopped fully cooked Ham
Salt and pepper to taste.
2 tablespoons olive oil.
4 Leeks, chopped. White and light green parts only
½ cup Onions chopped.
2 stalks Celery
1/3 cup finely chopped Dill
½ cup Sour Cream (optional)
½ cup half-and-half Cream (optional)
In a sauté pan, heat olive oil and add leeks, onions and celery – cook until very soft about 15 minutes. Do not brown.
Meanwhile in a large pot add the Chicken Stock, cubed Potatoes and Ham, and simmer.
When leek mixture is soft, add in the dill, cook for about 2 more minutes, then puree in a blender using a bit of the chicken stock to ensure it blends smoothly. When smooth, add the leek mixture to the pot of potatoes and ham. Just remember use caution when blending hot mixtures in the blender. Do it in small batches so the steam doesn’t build up and make a mess – or even worse, burn you.
Simmer the potato, ham, and leek mixture until potatoes are cooked. Now at this point I suggest you taste your soup. You just may like it as is without adding the cream and sour cream, which is great if you want to save the fat and calories. If you decided to go with the creams, add them last. Don’t let the soup come to a boiling point once you add the cream, or the cream may curdle.
This soup will taste great when served right away, but if you have the time, chill in the fridge overnight (don’t add in the creams) to let the flavor develop even more. Out of the fridge, warm soup, add cream and serve!
*Variation – With Easter just around the corner, you may have a big ham bone left from dinner! If so, just boil the bone with the peppercorns in about 2.5 quarts of water for about 30 minutes, then simmer with the 2 cups of ham for about another hour. Remove the ham bone, then add in the potatoes and continue with the recipe as directed.
Enjoy!
- 2 quarts good quality low-sodium Chicken Stock* (see variation at end)
- 4 cups Potatoes, peeled and cubed (also great with quartered small new potatoes in the spring)
- 2 cups chopped fully cooked Ham
- Salt and pepper to taste.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil.
- 4 Leeks, chopped. White and light green parts only
- ½ cup Onions chopped.
- 2 stalks Celery
- 1/3 cup finely chopped Dill
- ½ cup Sour Cream (optional)
- ½ cup half-and-half Cream (optional)
- In a sauté pan, heat olive oil and add leeks, onions and celery – cook until very soft about 15 minutes. Do not brown.
- Meanwhile in a large pot add the Chicken Stock, cubed Potatoes and Ham, and simmer.
- When leek mixture is soft, add in the dill, cook for about 2 more minutes, then puree in a blender using a bit of the chicken stock to ensure it blends smoothly. When smooth, add the leek mixture to the pot of potatoes and ham. Just remember use caution when blending hot mixtures in the blender. Do it in small batches so the steam doesn’t build up and make a mess – or even worse, burn you.
- Simmer the potato, ham, and leek mixture until potatoes are cooked. Now at this point I suggest you taste your soup. You just may like it as is without adding the cream and sour cream, which is great if you want to save the fat and calories. If you decided to go with the creams, add them last. Don’t let the soup come to a boiling point once you add the cream, or the cream may curdle.
- This soup will taste great when served right away, but if you have the time, chill in the fridge overnight (don’t add in the creams) to let the flavor develop even more. Out of the fridge, warm soup, add cream and serve!
- *Variation – With Easter just around the corner, you may have a big ham bone left from dinner! If so, just boil the bone with the peppercorns in about 2.5 quarts of water for about 30 minutes, then simmer with the 2 cups of ham for about another hour. Remove the ham bone, then add in the potatoes and continue with the recipe as directed.
- Enjoy!
This sounds, and looks, delicious! I think I will give it a try, soon. There is nothing better than a nice bowl of homemade soup!
I share a love of soups with you, PP, and I guess I must be a soup snob too because I make my own. I take the same shortcut: low-sodium organic stock. But I really like to see pepper flakes in my soup!
This soulds delicious and I will let you know what we think when we try it.
Did you hear about the kerfuffle between Gwyneth Paltrow, Rachel Ray and the NYTimes? The NYTimes accused the lady chefs of getting other people to write their recipes for them and they denied it (on Twitter, of course!)
Hey, the ghost recipe-writer isn’t you, is it?
Great post pattypie! I love homemade soup and even make it when it’s hot outside. I use white pepper in lots of things as we hve a little one around here, that doesn’t like pepper. He doesn’t know that secret. 🙂 This sounds great to use after Easter with a ham bone, but you could just send me some and I wouldn’t have to make it. 🙂
This is a soup that I would love to eat. Fed Ex me some please! Looks so good.
Pattypie: This soup does sound yummy. I do not cook much anymore, but I do make soup, however, I try to stick to five ingredients. So, just send my batch with potatoes, ham, onions, salt and pepper. Snickers: I have always used the ham bone and the small pieces for soup or casseroles. They freeze well for later use.
I made this soup a couple of weeks ago…now I am hungry for more! I’ll make a big batch and send out bowls to you all! 😉
This looks good!
Looks delicious! I don’t use leeks a whole lot because I’m always paranoid about getting them really clean, but I love ham and potatoes. I agree with you on being a stock snob. I find that the easiest thing to do is make the stock separately, perhaps on a weekend day when you’re home for a while, let it cool and then freeze it in meal-sized portions (big ziploc bags are good if you have space concerns).
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I will have to try this soon before it gets too warm for soup!
This looks SO yummy. I wish I had some last week when we were getting our whole winter’s worth of rain in 7 days.
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Thanks for the tip on saving the Easter ham bone. I am pretty much of the opinion that ham is a gift from the Gods.
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Do you ever freeze your soups and serve them later, Patty?
Looks and sounds yummy. I am a horrible cook but I’m going to ask my daughters to cook it for us! LOL
I do freeze soup and it freezes quite well. Don’t put in any cream if you are going to freeze and under cook the potatoes a bit. I usually freeze in plastic bags. Then we when I want to have it…I run the bags under hot water so the plastic stick and warm in a pot.
I have to admit I am a stock snob too. Someone I worked with used to bring in ‘homemade’soup to work all the time. Her stock was campbells soup…gross.
This soup looks and sounds wonderful and is something I am going to try.
Put me in the soup snob column, too. When I’m not able to make a homemade stock or want one that is difficult to make, such as seafood stock, etc. I use a restaurant quality product called Better Than Bouillon. It is a paste like product that is available in low sodium and in a variety of flavors including mushroom, lobster, clam and seafood. We love lobster bisque, but can’t afford all of the lobster it would take to make a good stock.
Oh, this looks so yummy! Great way to use left over ham.I love recipes I can use left overs in & I love soup! As, I’ve mentioned before sadly only 2 out of 5 of us really enjoy soup in my house. I’m determined to find a 5 out of 5 recipe! In the mean time I freeze soup a lot!
I also keep an Odds & Ends container in my small freezer, that I throw those last few veggies, rice, meat etc. That are not enough for a meal but can be used to make Odds & Ends Soup.
I wonder are leeks a spring veggie? Off to ask Snicker’s on her garden post 🙂
This sounds so good. I’m going to put it on the list and try it next week. Thx PP!
How many servings does this soup make?