andouille potato-leek soup.
potato leek soup gets a spicy upgrade with the simple addition of andouille sausage. delicious, creamy, and gluten free — it’s the ultimate winter soup.
Serves: 4 Prep time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes jump to recipe.
I know, this isn’t exactly re-inventing the wheel, but I decided long ago that not everything has to be. Any soup lover worth their salt has made potato leek soup, and honestly, it’s pretty foolproof even if you haven’t. It’s probably my go to (right behind zuppa toscana) and takes barely 30 minutes to make a ridiculously filling soup. I’m not kidding; we sat down to eat our bowls with sandwiches and barely touched the sandwiches.
what’s so good about potato-leek soup
It’s creamy, with just a whisper of onion flavor from the leek. You can customize it as much as you want — add extra onions, add bacon, different potatoes, different seasonings — and it’ll still be largely the same soup.
I like making mine with russet potatoes. I’ve read some other people swear by yukon gold, but I’m partial to the starchy texture of the russets. You can use either one; the only potato I wouldn’t recommend is red, because it’s very waxy and doesn’t really break down smoothly.
Then, of course, the leeks. You can certainly just use regular yellow onions instead, but promise, it won’t be quite the same. Leeks are faintly garlicky and much less potent than other onions. Think of a scallion that lost some of its flavor. In a good way. Does that make sense?
My potato leek is enhanced (in my opinion) by super-caramelized andouille sausage. It just gives the soup a little more depth than the vegetarian version, plus a lot more protein and something to chew on (If you know me, you know I’m weird about mushy things). You don’t have to use andouille — The first time I made this, I threw in a mystery sausage from a client’s fridge that I can only assume was kielbasa.
Said client was unrelated to food, by the way. Don’t worry, I save the mystery meats for myself.
Andouille is great for flavor, but I have also love smoked sausage and (confirmed) kielbasa. Anything that adds salt and deep, almost-beefy flavor.
how to make it
Grab a pot. Melt butter.
Brown the sausage as much as possible without burning it. This takes a little longer than you’d think, but it’s worth it. Deep, browned, crispy on the edges.
Wash the leek — and don’t just rinse a little water over it and call it a day - you have to scrub between the leaves. If you haven’t worked with leeks before, you’ll notice how much dirt accumulates between the leaves. Take the outer few off and scrub, then thoroughly rinse the tighter insides to remove any dirt. Then, just chop into rounds, going about halfway into the green tops.
Add the leeks next, then once fragrant, add the garlic. Swirl it all around before adding the potatoes.
Personally, I find this soup easy to prep as you go- chop the next thing while the last thing cooks, you get it. In other words, peel and dice the potatoes while the leeks cook, then dump them into the soup and cover with broth.
The reason I put the potatoes in before the broth is because a.) I hate being splashed and b.) I tend to skip measuring and go by water levels in the pot. For this soup, you want the broth to just cover the potatoes. It won’t look like very much, but if you add too much up front the soup will be too watery later on.
The creaminess relies on the potatoes. It’s honestly.. kind of like making mashed potatoes. But more brothy, I guess.
Let is simmer away until the potatoes are really soft. There should be no force when you go to mash them. If they aren’t super easy to mash, they won’t taste right and they’ll mash into a chunky mess. Give it time.
Once the potatoes are meltingly soft, mash until about 2/3rds of the potatoes are pulverized. Leave the rest chunky. At this point, the soup should be almost like a paste, or a thin mashed potato. Don’t worry about the leeks and sausage, they do a surprisingly good job of staying out of the way.
Add the heavy cream. Voila - soup.
leeks are large, so you’ll only need one. Russets go a long way, so you’ll likely only need 2 (maybe 3, if they’re small).
andouille potato-leek soup ingredients
andouille: Andouille is just a tiny bit spicy, so if you’d rather have something completely mild, I’d recommend swapping for smoked sausage or kielbasa. Same flavor profile, just without the hint of heat. Slice the link into thin rounds so that they’re easy to eat.
butter: Butter helps make this soup thick and creamy, but if you must, you can just use olive oil. Since there’s no roux involved in this soup, there is some flexibility.
leeks: Leeks look like giant scallions (green onions) and are usually situated next to them in the grocery store. I wouldn’t really recommend swapping on purpose. If leeks are sold out, just use yellow onion instead. Something mellow, like a leek.
garlic: Great for flavor, and with how lean on ingredients this soup is, I wouldn’t recommend leaving it out.
potato: You can use russets or yukon gold. I prefer russet because of the starchy flavor and texture, but Yukon golds are great if you want a super-smooth soup. Both will soften in about the same amount of time.
thyme: You’ll notice this soup has hardly any seasonings. Personally, think thyme is all you need, since the flavor comes from the leek, garlic, and sausage. Thyme just adds a nice herbal touch. You could also swap for rosemary, or use dried versions.
heavy cream: I really prefer heavy cream in most applications, but for this soup, you can get away with half and half very easily because the potatoes are thickening the soup, not flour or cornstarch or anything. You only need a little bit, so use whatever you have on hand.
this is about how brown you want your sausage. this is how it gets that deep, meaty flavor.
almost called this “trust the process” soup because it honestly doesn’t look very good until the very end. this is about what it should look like after simmering.
andouille potato-leek soup pairing options
Ah, you know I’m a fan of soup and sandwiches. Here are some sandwiches (and other things) I’ve enjoyed this soup with:
Philly cheesesteak sandwiches
Ham and tomato grilled cheese
Turkey club sandwiches
Provolone, mozzarella, and pesto grilled cheese
Steamed garlicky broccoli
Roasted carrots
White wine, like sauvignon blanc or chardonnay
Focaccia - for dipping!
Just like that, the soup is creamy and thick. This is what it should look like after adding cream - kind of yellow-white.