Herby Leek, Potato, and White Bean Soup
From: Ian Seddon's Cookbook
🥘 Ingredients
- bay leaves 2
- fresh sage or rosemary 2 sprig
- sprigs fresh thyme 0.2 oz
- extra virgin olive oil 3 tbsp
- large leeks 3
- Kosher
- Yukon Gold potatoes medium potatoes 3 oz
- garlic cloves 6
- Aleppo pepper or red pepper flakes ¼ tsp
- vegetable broth 4 cup
- cannellini beans 2
- flat-leaf parsley leaves only 1 ¼ cup
- medium lemons 2
- garlic clove 1
- Flaky
- baby spinach 3 oz
- For serving: Crusty bread to serve 4
Bouquet Garni (With Extra Thyme)
If you don’t have kitchen twine: (a) replace the twine with a long stem of flat-leaf parsley with leaves removed; (b) replace the twine with plain, unwaxed dental floss; OR (c) place the herbs in a piece of cheesecloth and use the corners to tie it into a knot. Don’t have any of those? Skip this prep step and see the recipe notes for the main dinner recipes for instructions.
If you didn’t make the Bouquet Garni, chop the leaves from 2 large sprig of fresh sage/rosemary and 10-15 sprig of fresh thyme. Add the herbs when you add the garlic and sauté. Add the whole bay leaves when you add the broth; scoop out before blending. If you bought fresh dill in addition to parsley, finely chop 1 cup flat-leaf parsley (leaves only) and 1 handful of fresh dill leaves to use in the Gremolata. For a more spinach-heavy soup, use up to 5 oz of baby spinach in step 6. Storage: If you have leftover Gremolata, add it to a jar, drizzle some olive oil on top, seal, and refrigerate. Store the soup separately in the fridge for 4 to 5 days. Reheat the soup in the microwave or on the stove, adding a splash of broth or water if needed to thin it out. Top with the Gremolata and a generous drizzle of good-quality extra virgin olive oil right before serving with toasted crusty bread on the side. Storage: Got more leftovers? The soup is freezer-friendly. Store in single-serve portions and defrost in the fridge. For quicker defrosting, I recommend these Souper Cubes. (Freeze without the Gremolata and make it fresh when you are ready to reheat the soup.) If it is too thick when reheating, thin it out with a splash of broth or water. Nutrition boost: For more veggies, use more baby spinach (see Note 3). For added fiber, serve with whole wheat seeded sourdough. For more protein and crunch, top with crispy chickpeas or crispy lentils (for a homemade alternative, make the Simple Roasted Chickpeas on page 236 of Big Vegan Flavor). Shortcut: If you bought vegan pesto, skip making the Gremolata in step 4. Instead, dollop some pesto on top of each bowl before serving.
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1Prepare: bay leaves , fresh sage or rosemary , sprigs fresh thyme .
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2Gather the bay leaf, sage (or rosemary) sprigs, and thyme sprigs in a single pile. Use kitchen twine to tightly tie them together. Label and store in a ziploc bag or a small airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
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3Gather: extra virgin olive oil , large leeks , Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, Yukon Gold potatoes medium potatoes , garlic cloves , Aleppo pepper or red pepper flakes , vegetable broth , Bouquet Garni (from sage, thyme, and bay leaves) (from meal prep) (see Note 1), cannellini beans . For the gremolata: flat-leaf parsley leaves only , medium lemons , garlic clove , Flaky sea salt, baby spinach , For serving: Crusty bread to serve .
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4Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat. Once shimmering, add the leeks with a few pinches of salt. Cook until softened and starting to brown, 7 to 9 minutes, stirring occasionally. While this cooks, rinse the potatoes, then peel and finely dice them.
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5Add the garlic and chili flakes (if using) to the pot. Cook for 1-2 minutes , stirring frequently. If needed, add a splash of broth to deglaze, scraping up any browned bits. Add the broth, Bouquet Garni, 1/2 tsp of kosher salt, pepper to taste, the finely diced potatoes, and drained beans. Stir well.
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6Bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 15-20 minutes , or until the potatoes are tender, stirring a couple times.
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7While the soup simmers, prep the other ingredients. Make the Gremolata: Finely chop the parsley. Using a microplane, zest the lemons on top of the parsley, then grate the garlic into the mix. Stir to combine, then add a couple pinches of flaky salt. Set aside. Toast your bread using your preferred method.
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8Once the potatoes are tender, scoop out the Bouquet Garni and discard. Blend about half of the soup using one of these methods. Stand blender option: Transfer half of the soup (3-3 1/2 cup) to a stand blender. Replace the blender cap with a dish towel to allow the steam to vent. Blend until creamy, smooth, and thick. Return the blended soup to the pot and stir to incorporate. One-pot option: Use an immersion blender throughout half of the soup, but be sure to not blend it all—you want to retain some texture.
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9Add the spinach to the soup. Simmer for 1-2 minutes or until wilted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
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10Serve the soup in bowls. Sprinkle some Gremolata over each bowl and a generous drizzle of good-quality extra virgin olive oil. Serve toasted crusty bread on the side.