I’ve been on a mission this fall to use as many herbs from my garden in my recipes as possible before the first frost comes this year and the star of this week’s recipe is fresh basil. It gives this creamy potato and leek soup an interesting and unexpected note and makes it oh so flavourful and delicious.

It’s the perfect rich and comforting soup for a cozy fall dinner and comes together rather easy with only a couple of ingredients you might already have at home and a boost of extra fresh herbaceous goodness from your garden.

Homemade sourdough croutons make this creamy potato soup even better and give it a nice crunchy element. My family loves my croutons, and I usually like to make an extra big batch since my kids eat them by the handful and they are always great to add to a nice salad the next day as well.

If you like this recipe and if you are looking for more ideas to use up your homegrown treasures this fall, please make sure to check out my post for FRESH HERB BUTTER WITH NASTURTIUM FLOWERS, MY FAVOURITE THINGS TO MAKE WITH DRIED CHILLI PEPPERS and my SPAGHETTI WITH LEMON BALM AND ZUCCHINI RECIPE.

TIPS TO MAKE THE PERFECT POTATO & BASIL SOUP

Make sure to use fresh basil and take out any long or hard stems.

Use only the white and light green parts of the leeks and cut them sideways before you wash it thoroughly.

Boil your potatoes until they are falling apart and then just quickly puree your soup with a hand blender until smooth. Don’t over blend your potatoes to avoid your soup from getting gluey.

To make the croutons nice and crispy and easier to cut, it’s better to use slightly stale or day-old bread and instead of using fresh bread.

Don’t heat the soup after you added the basil to avoid it from changing its bright colour and flavour.

INGREDIENTS

Potatoes - use yellow potatoes for this recipe.

Onions - yellow onions or shallots will work best to make this soup.

Leeks - you can use leeks or substitute onions and leeks with green onions for the soup base.

Garlic - make sure to use fresh garlic instead of dried if you can.

Vegetable broth - use homemade or store-bought vegetable broth for this recipe or substitute with chicken stock.

Cream - make sure to get heavy whipping cream for best creaminess or substitute with coconut cream.

Basil - fresh basil will give this soup its distinctive flavour.

Lemon - a bit of fresh lemon zest adds a fine and fresh lemony note to this soup.

Bread - I prefer sourdough bread to make my croutons, but you can use any crusty day-old or leftover bread you have.

Butter - use unsalted butter to make the sourdough croutons.

Olive oil - I like to use a mix of butter and olive oil for the croutons.

Herbs - you can use a mix of dried herbs like thyme, rosemary and oregano.

The full ingredient list with exact measurements can be found in the recipe card below.

MATERIALS

cutting board
sharp knife
big pot
hand/immersion blender
fine metal grater
medium sized pan
wooden spoon

INSTRUCTIONS STEP BY STEP

Cut the white and light green parts of the leeks, slice them lengthwise, give the layers a good rinse and cut into small rings.

Peel the onion and garlic and cut into cubes and thin slices.

Wash, peel and chop the potatoes into chunks.

Add 2 tbsps of butter to your big pot, on medium heat, add leeks and garlic and sauté for 5-8 minutes until softened but not brown.

Add potatoes, vegetable broth, half of the cream, salt and pepper and boil for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are very soft.

While your soup is cooking, make the croutons by cutting your bread into small cubes.

Heat up butter and olive oil in a pan, add the bread cubes on medium heat. Stir and fry them until they’re crispy and golden.

Season your croutons with salt, pepper and dried herbs.

Add the other half of the cream, lemon zest and the basil into a narrow blending jug and quickly blend with the hand blender.

Quickly puree the soup and make sure not to over-blend it.

Add the basil cream to your soup and don’t heat the soup after you added the basil to avoid it from changing its bright colour and flavour.

Serve your potato and basil soup with sourdough croutons and freshly cracked black pepper and enjoy!

POTATO & BASIL SOUP WITH SOURDOUGH CROUTONS RECIPE

by Julia

This is the perfect creamy and comforting soup for a cozy fall dinner. Potatoes, leaks and cream built a rich base, and basil adds an unexpected and flavourful element to this delicious soup. Homemade sourdough croutons add a nice crunchy element and make it even better.

PREP : 15 minutes COOK : 30 minutes YIELD : 4 portions

INGREDIENTS

for the soup:

500 g yellow potatoes
¼ -½ onion
½ leek
1 clove garlic
30 g unsalted butter
1 L vegetable broth
150 ml whipping cream
40 g fresh basil
1tbsp lemon zest
salt and pepper to taste

for the croutons:

½ loaf sourdough bread
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp dried herbs like thyme, rosemary, oregano
salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Cut the white and light green parts of the leeks, slice them lengthwise, give the layers a good rinse and cut into small rings.
Peel the onion and garlic and cut into cubes and thin slices.
Wash, peel and chop the potatoes into chunks.
Add 2 tbsps of butter to your big pot, on medium heat, add leeks and garlic and sauté for 5-8 minutes until softened but not brown.
Add potatoes, vegetable broth, half of the cream, salt and pepper and boil for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are very soft.
While your soup is cooking, make the croutons by cutting your bread into small cubes.
Heat up butter and olive oil in a pan, add the bread cubes on medium heat. Stir and fry them until they’re crispy and golden.
Season your croutons with salt, pepper and dried herbs.
Add the other half of the cream, lemon zest and the basil into a narrow blending jug and quickly blend with your immersion blender.
Quickly puree the soup and make sure not to over-blend it.
Add the basil cream to your soup and don’t heat the soup after you added the basil to avoid it from changing its bright colour and flavour.
Serve your potato and basil soup with sourdough croutons and freshly cracked black pepper and enjoy!