Happy Monday! Let’s talk soup, shall we?
We’re in the last few days of October, and this month I’ve become a soup making queen. Every fall and winter I usually get obsessed with homemade soup for dinner, but I have a feeling this is going to be even more true this year since I’m now living in the chilly northeast. When the temperatures are in the 50s and below, I crave soup every other day. Nothing says cold weather comfort food to me like a big warm bowl of healthy soup with a hunk of bread on the side!
And so, today I’m sharing my first soup recipe of the season. I’m taking a classic soup recipe, potato leek, and putting my own twist on it.
Typically potato leek soup contains cream and/or butter, but my recipe leaves out the dairy – yet it’s still creamy and delicious, I promise!
I also added in zucchini for a green veggie, as well as some ditalini pasta for a bit more heartiness.
My favorite soup making kitchen gadget is my immersion blender, and we use it in this recipe to smooth out the potatoes and make the soup have a creamy consistency. However, if you don’t own an immersion blender, you can also pour the soup into a food processor or blender to get it nice and smooth. It’s easier with an immersion blender, but either will work.
I hope that you give this recipe a try this soup season. It’s filling, flavorful, and one large serving comes in at just a bit over 300 calories and is packed with goodness – including 23% iron, 40% calcium, 17% Vitamin C and 22% Vitamin A recommended daily values!
Potato Leek Soup with Zucchini & Ditalini Pasta {vegan}
Ingredients
- 7 cups vegetable broth
- 3 large leeks
- 1 1/2 lbs yellow potatoes such as Yukon Gold
- 1 medium zucchini
- 2/3 cup dry ditalini pasta
- 1/2 white onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 TSP dried thyme
- 1 1/2 TSP salt
- 1/4 TSP ground pepper
- Chopped chives for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- First prep the leeks: Chop the dark green parts off of the leeks, along with the white ends. Slice the leeks vertically in half. Place in a strainer and run water through the leeks, peeling back layers with your hands to wash off any excess dirt that's hiding in the leeks. Transfer to a cutting a board and thinly slice the leeks.
- Warm the olive oil in a pot over medium-low heat.
- While the olive oil is warming, mince the onion and garlic.
- Cook the leeks and white onion in the olive oil for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, stir, and cook for another 3 minutes.
- Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and chop them into bite-sized cubes.
- Add the potatoes to the pot and bring the heat up to high. Pour in the broth, and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Cover, lower the heat down to medium for a low simmer, and cook for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are tender.
- Meanwhile, dice the zucchini.
- Use an immersion blender to process the soup into a smooth and creamy mixture with few potato cubes. Option to transfer the soup into a food processor or blender, and blend the soup that way instead.
- Add in the diced zucchini, ditalini pasta, salt, pepper and thyme. Simmer for another 10 minutes, or until the pasta is cooked al dente.
- Spoon into bowls, add chopped chives on top, and enjoy! Dip crusty bread into the soup for some extra yumminess.
Nutrition
Tell me… What kind of soup have you been making/eating lately?
I love ditalini pasta in soups! Like you, I crave soups like it’s my job once the cold weather arrives. And the cold weather has most certainly arrived here in the northeast. (Yes, I know it will get colder…but it’s already cold enough for me.) Soup season has arrived! I also love using an immersion blender as I’m all about creamy soups. This one sounds delicious, and I should get a batch simmering on the stove this weekend. Yum!
It’s already cold enough for me too! Though I think your temps are probably colder than where I am but still, 50s is enough for me 😉
Well this soup is right up my alley! Perfect for these chilly fall days.
It definitely is! There’s nothing like soup to warm you up on a chilly day.
So funny, I just had soup tonight! It was a squash soup but I love the sound of this potato leek version with zucchini! Yum!
I have yet to make squash soup this fall.. need to do something with butternut squash soon I think!
Love this soup so much!!!
Delicious like all your recipes!
Making it a second to time tonight for a quick dinner…..your recipes are all soooooooo good!
Thank you!! So glad you like this! It’s Cam’s favorite soup 🙂