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When we speak of a budget-friendly option, one can always recall potato bacon and leek soup, which burst the aroma like never before. Soup is the best solution for all your disease and shortcomings in the winter. Well, you wouldn’t need to worry about the chilly fall days or the coldest evening of the year when you have the best potato bacon and leek soup recipe by your side. With preparation and cooking in hand, one can easily prepare the soup in an hour while the aroma wafts the house with hunger. The creaminess and juiciness of bacon add to the mixture, making it an ultimate pleasure for all.
However, this is not the end; freshly chopped green onions and parsley not only give it a decorative touch but also bring in the delightful touch we all wish for. The recipe brings in a variety of flavors that bursts into your mouth with every spoon you have. Therefore, if you haven’t had the potato bacon and leek soup before, this is your chance to prepare something excellent and enjoy it with all the happiness you deserve.
How to Pick up Best Ingredients for Potato Bacon and Leek Soup?
To begin with, one must be firm with picking up the right potatoes for the recipe even though users end up picking up any of the options available. However, the best creamy potatoes are the ones with high starch content. You can exclusively ask for Yukon or Russets gold as they will be ideal for the soup. Apart from it, don’t neglect any ideas about the broth. As a chef, you are allowed to explore the different tastes available. Therefore, be free to choose between chicken or vegetable broth.
Speaking of leeks, picking fresh ones from the market is crucial. If you didn’t find the same in your departmental store, I would suggest you take a good walk and go to the local store in your area. Leeks are sold out as soon as they reach the store; therefore, be first at the grocery shop and ask them for leeks with white, slender, and clean bulbs. Apart from it, look out for rolled, firm, and dark green tops. Even though I recommend dark green tops, it has very little use in the recipe. The recipe will mainly be based on the white part of the leek.
However, one must be well aware that leeks belong to the onion family and therefore bring in the sweet tender taste to the soup.
Once the soup is prepared, you must serve it with cornbread, crusty rolls, or a tossed salad for the meal to be satisfying. It is always a great idea to explore the sides when the main dish is easy to prepare. With so many options for the side, you can try out new ones every time you prepare the potato bacon and leek soup. Therefore, without any further ado, let’s jump into the recipe required for the same.
How to Prepare Potato Bacon and Leek Soup?
Ingredients
- 4 properly sliced bacon
- 4 large leeks, thinly sliced (white part only)
- 1 onion, thinly diced
- Unsalted Butter (2 tablespoons)
- Extra-virgin Olive Oil (1 tablespoon), you are free to use any other oil of your choice
- All-purpose flour (3 tablespoons)
- 3 cups of vegetable or chicken broth
- Not so fine Diced potatoes (2 cups, russets or Yukon gold)
- Freshly chopped parsley and green onions for garnishing
- Half-half or Whole milk (2 cups)
- Salt and black pepper for taste
- Two garlic cloves
- Crusty Bread or Cornbread (as per your choice)
Methods
Step 1
Let’s begin with tossing the bread cubes in a bowl with melted butter. Mix paprika in the bowl and bake the bread cubes at 400 degrees F until the bread has turned golden. This can take up to 10 minutes for you to succeed.
Step 2
Now, move forward to preparing the bacon over medium heat until it’s crispy to consume. This whole process can take up to 8 minutes, and therefore, using a large saucepan would make sense. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel over a plate to soak in the fat.
Keep around 2 tablespoons of fat in the pan and discard the rest. With another spoon of butter in it, add the finely chopped leeks and garlic to the fat and cook it until the garlic is soft. Don’t cover the saucepan yet.
Add the chicken broth, 2 cups of water, and chopped potatoes to the saucepan. With the heat being reduced to medium and the saucepan partially covered, wait for approximately 10 minutes for the base to be prepared. Apart from it, don’t forget to add salt and black pepper to the base as per your taste.
Step 3
Transfer half of the base to a blender and add the whole milk to it. Simmer the same and return it to the pot. Add the peas and cook the mixture until its tender. This will take around 3 minutes for you to complete.
In the end, top the soup with bacon, parsley, and croutons. Don’t forget to season the soup with salt and pepper.
However, if you are looking forward to making the soup a little exciting, you can cook the green leeks in the bacon fat and add it as a seasoning to your soup.
Pro Tip – While blending the base, make sure to cool it down for 8-10 minutes. You wouldn’t want to splash the base out of the jar and ruin the whole experience.
4 Benefits of Potato Bacon and Leek Soup
#1 Reduced Blood Sugar Level
While the world is suffering from Type I and Type II diabetes, it is crucial to take care of your health. With so many remedies available in the market, it is hard to choose the right one. Apart from it, the considerable amount of medicines accompanied by the issue is torture for all the diabetic patients out there. With the help of potato bacon and leek soup, one can increase the fiber content in their blood as leeks digest slowly in the body. There is no harm in consuming the soup regularly.
#2 Reduced Inflammation
We are always on the look to reduce blemishes and redness on our faces. Even after trying tons of remedies out there, we end up failing. However, it can be dealt with with a simple lifestyle change. Leeks come from the onion family, which has the medical component to deal with inflammation in the human body. With regular consumption of the same, one brings in the required amount of Kaempferol in their body which is an excellent tool with anti-inflammatory compounds.
#3 Improved Gut Health
Well, nobody wishes to feel like a 50-year-old at the age of 30. Therefore, we need to take care of our gut health. Even after having regular meals, one might miss on the same. It is nearly impossible for people with a hectic schedule to frame their meals properly. Therefore, they need a better solution to deal with the same. The best way out is to find a good source of soluble fibers. Leeks act as prebiotic to good bacteria in our gut and bolster the microbiome just the way it is required.
Apart from it, leeks have been found with allicin as well. Allicin is an excellent component as it helps deal with the pathogenic microbes present in our gut. Often, these microbes are not defused out of our body quickly, leading to poor gut health problems.
#4 Healthy and Smooth Skin
We all know how Vitamin A is the ultimate component for glowing skin. Well, leeks take care of that. With high beta-carotene, one can quickly achieve their goal of healthy skin if they are not facing any severe gut or skin problems. Apart from it, the high sulfur compounds help the liver cleanse the body naturally. Anyone experiencing acne must take good care of their liver to achieve healthy skin in the long run.
It is always wise to pick up natural remedies and stick to the earth. Any chemical compound which makes life easier is not the natural way out, and one must rethink the same before picking it as a viable option. While most of the benefits are based on leeks, one can always have the fat and protein from the bacon added as toppings.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. Are Potato bacon and leek soup healthy for kids?
All the parents are always worried about feeding the wrong food to their kids. Well, this is natural for anybody. Potato bacon and leek soup are healthy and a snack for most kids. While it is inexpensive, it is also filling and tasty at the same time. One can convert this into a healthy meal option for lunch or dinner, depending on the ingredients. The calories that the soup yields will also depend on the ingredients used; therefore, one has the privilege to add their favorite vegetables to the same.
Q2. Why are Potato Bacon and Leek soup gummy?
If you have experienced a gummy texture in your soup, you have made significant blunders while preparing the same. A gummy texture is due to the excessive presence of starch. This takes place when one forgets not to chop the potato finely. Russet potatoes are high in starch, and therefore, it is best to dice them and toss them in the pan. When it is finely chopped, the starch bonds with the broth making the base slimy and gummy.
Q3. How long can one store the soup?
Well, the soup can easily be preserved for 3-4 days in the refrigerator if it has been covered well. I advise using an airtight container to avoid spreading the fragrance in the refrigerator. The soup can constantly be reheated in an oven. However, you can also freeze the same by using a freezer-sage container or bag, releasing the excess air. Freezing can help you store the same for up to 3 months. It is always advisable to consume the same hot and freshly prepared. This helps bring the texture out properly without playing around with the taste.
Takeaway
This article revolves around potato bacon and leek soup and looks forward to finding out all the different recipes that can bring in the right flavors. However, the taste can vary depending on individuals as well. One can try out different spices and bring out a new creation. Therefore, be free to explore your taste and ideas.
Apart from it, check out the fantastic corned beef recipe on Sleck, the best in town.
