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Diet Leek and Potato Soup Recipe – comfort food from my childhood:
Every weekend that I am in London I wander over to the Farmers’ Market at Oval. My first stop is always the same. I go to the first farm stall to buy chicken carcasses – 4 for a pound. I boil them up for a couple of hours with a bay leaf, onion and carrot to make stock or, as it seems to have become known these days ‘bone broth’. The end result is a gelatinous mixture which I use in a whole range of dishes. I always make soup – something I find particularly helpful if I am trying to lose weight. Leek and potato soup is a winter favourite for me, probably because my father used to make it, using the carcass from our Sunday roast chicken when he couldn’t buy tomatoes cheaply enough to make what he called ‘minestrone’ but which I think was probably closer to stone soup (that soup which uses up everything left over in the fridge) than he’d have admitted.
Leek and potato soup is very simple to make and there are a number of easy variations. You can add milk and/or cream to make a richer soup. And, you can serve it blended or, as I have done here, just cook it for long enough to let the potato break down a bit. To keep the calories down I’ve used more leek and less potato – and there’s no added dairy, just a dollop of low-calorie creme fraiche at the end. For that reason it is easy to make a vegan version of this – it is naturally vegetarian if you use vegetable stock. You can also make a posher version by straining and clarifying the stock, using only the white part of the leeks and adding cream before blending. Served cold, you may see it by the name of Vichysoisse. And of course, if you want to make a more substantial version and you are not vegetarian, you can add some chicken.
But, I prefer this rustic version. On a non-fast day, there’s nothing better than a bowlful of soup with a crusty roll and fresh butter. And, on fast days, I just indulge in a pretty garnish of creme fraiche, a good grind of black pepper and sometimes chives.
A low-calorie leek and potato soup perfect for the 5:2 diet or any other restricted calorie diet. Can be vegetarian or vegan depending on the stock used
- 1 Medium Potato
- 4 Medium Leeks
- 1 Small Brown Onion
- 750 ml Chicken or Vegetable stock
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Creme Fraiche to serve
- 1 tsp Butter
Peel and cut the potato into 1cm chunks
Trim the leeks, slice in half along the length and clean, then slice into roughly 2cm pieces. Rinse thoroughly
Peel and dice the onion finely
Melt the butter in a large heavy-based pan and add the onion. Soften over a low to medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
Add the leeks and soften for a further 5 minutes
Add the potato and stock. Season with a little salt and pepper
Bring the mixture to simmering point and cook for 25 minutes until the potato is soft and the leeks are cooked through
At this stage, you can blitz the mixture to make a smooth soup if you like.
Adjust the seasoning and serve with a dollop of creme fraiche
The calorie count for this recipe is around 120 calories per portion without the creme fraiche. But, it’s a filling and delicious winter soup that won’t leave you feeling hungry by 5 pm in the afternoon and looking for a way to cheat!
If you do try this recipe please let me know how you get on in the comments below. And if you want to save it for later why not pin it!
I have been making leek and potato soup for many years and this is the best recipe ever! I always thought you needed to use lots of cream in this soup but it tastes much better without those added calories. Perfect for the 5:2 diet . Thanks for posting..
Thank you! It’s one of my own favourites
Delicious! I have had it for lunch all week and loved it. So easy to make, not too many ingredients – I am on a VLCD and this fills me up and is really tasty. Thank you.
Soup is genuinely an excellent way to stay feeling full for longer if you are on a diet. The trick is to include a little protein of some sort
I just made double the amount of this, and I did blitz it, it was delicious! I will be sure to make it again, thanks for the recipe!
i must try this soup, sounds yummy
Sounds yummy would love to try , can’t beat some soup in the winter
This looks lovely, perfect for a chilly evening
This is one of my favourite soups and this recipe is really delish thanks x
Being Welsh, it doesn’t come much better than this x
This looks interesting to try.
I will definitely be trying this.
Leeks are my favourite vegetable.
Looking forward to giving this a try x
Potato and leek soup is my all time favourite and so easy to make.
I could have done with this recipe last week when I had a huge bag of leeks to use up. I did make some leek and potato soup but, although it tasted good, it was a bit rich. A lighter version would have been better.
Great recipe! Perfect for the cold weather.
oooh this looks delicious! I will try it, thank you!
It looks very tasty, I’ve never been a fan of soup but recently I can’t get enough of chicken soup and tiger bread to dunk in it xxx
We love making soups in our home and this does look delicous and healthy too. x
Yummy, I love leek & potato soup, definitely one of my favourites along with broccoli & stilton. I always find this time of year is when I feel like making soup, lovin your recipe inspiration!
Looks lovely. Great tasty flavours. Nice and simple.
Looks lovely – nice and cosy at this time of year and great for the diet!
A proper winter warmer…. yummy.
I love this soup, have it all the time, but am going to have a go at your recipe to see the difference in taste
Let me know how you get on – and what the difference is!
Leeks are awesome, such great flavor. When I was a kid my mom would tell me all onions were just leeks so I would eat them 🙂
“Diet” is a dirty word. This soup deserves a much better descriptor! It looks fantastic. 🙂
It is very comforting!
This is one of our favourite soups, will have to give this a go – thanks for sharing 🙂
I love how light your recipe is whoever It’s still filling with the potatoes.
The besssttt comfort food!! ❤️❤️
This looks lovely. Can’t wait to make it.
Look forward to hearing how you get on!
It sounds very tempting and yummy!Thank you for sharing!
Do let me know how you get on!
I’ve been on a soup kick this month – I haven’t done leek and potato and it’s such a great combination. I may need to whip some up next week thanks to your post.
The best thing about leek and potato is that it works in both summer and winter;)
Looks yummy. I’ll have to Pin it and give the recipe to my husband so he can make it for me. I’m so lazy when it comes to cooking.
LOL where did you find that breed of husband?
Leek and potato is one of my favourite soups. It’s so easy and yet so comforting!
Thank you – it’s one of my winter favourites!