Creamy Potato Leek Soup with Kale and Bacon

This Potato Leek Soup with Kale is the perfect creamy comfort food to warm you up on a cold day. Loaded with your favorite toppings, this recipe is a real crowd-pleaser!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

This soup is the perfect cozy meal for a chilly day in the fall or winter. It’s hearty, nutritious, and flavorful – not to mention easy to make! You can have it on the table in under an hour and the process is mostly hands-off, so it’s great to make on a weeknight!

Ingredient Notes

Bacon: The bacon is used as a topping, and some of the bacon fat is used for sauteing the vegetables.

Onion: I used a medium yellow onion for this soup, but it’s totally fine to use whatever kind you have.

Leeks: Make sure you clean these well – see my tips section for more details on cleaning leeks.

Fresh garlic: You can use cloves from either the garlic bulb or buy the pre-minced variety.

Gold or red potatoes: Gold and red potatoes have better flavor and a creamier texture than baking potatoes, in my opinion. Their skin is pretty tender as well. I usually just puree the skins anyway, so I never bother with peeling.

Stock: I prefer chicken stock myself, but feel free to use vegetable stock if you prefer. 

Milk: I’ve only tested this recipe with cow’s milk, whole would be best, but 2% could work too. If you’re feeling extra, you can use half and half or heavy cream. Skim milk won’t give any creaminess because it has no fat. I have not tested it with any plant-based milk, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work as long as it’s unflavored. For a dairy-free extra creamy version, Country Crock makes a plant-based cream that would work. 

Kale: I usually buy kale pre-chopped, but you can chop it yourself too. If you chop it yourself, go with a fine chop so that the kale cooks faster.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Cook the bacon: Do this in a large stockpot and save about 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat to saute the vegetables. Set the crispy bacon aside. 

Cook the vegetables: Add the onions, leeks, garlic, and potatoes to the bacon fat and saute. Add your stock and allow the vegetables to cook until the potatoes are tender. 

Puree your soup: Add the milk and use an immersion stick blender to puree the soup. If you don’t have an immersion stick blender, you can transfer the soup into a regular blender to puree. You may have to work in batches.

Cook your kale: Once the soup is pureed, turn the heat to low, and add the chopped kale. Let the soup cook with the kale in the stockpot for about 5-10 minutes. 

Serve, top with the crispy bacon, and load up your soup with your favorite toppings: I have lots of ideas below to make your potato soup fully loaded!

Topping Ideas

The sky really is the limit on what you can use for toppings, but here are some ideas to get you started loading up your potato soup:

• Crumbled bacon
• Minced herbs (like chives or dill)
• Chopped green onions
• Sour cream (or Greek yogurt)
• Shredded cheese (like cheddar or parmesan)
• Pickled jalapenos
• Fried onions (can be homemade or store-bought, like French’s)
• Chopped avocado
• Drizzle of chili oil

Variations

You can also mix things up a bit and add a few other ingredients such as:

• Broccoli: Simply add this when you add your vegetables to the skillet.
• White beans: You can add these at the end if you want the beans intact, or add them before you puree the soup. The white beans will help thicken the soup and make it creamier. You may end up needing less milk or cream if you do that. 
• Swap the kale for another type of hearty green leafy vegetable: You can use chopped Swiss chard, collard greens, or mustard greens.

What to Serve with Potato Soup

Adding some bread on the side is always a nice touch for hearty soups. You can try my air fryer garlic bread, 2 ingredient yogurt flatbreads, or my 3 ingredient beer bread. They all would make nice accompaniments. 

If you’re feeling extra, you can also hollow out small loaves of bread for bread bowls to serve the soup.

Expert Tips

• Make sure to clean your leeks well. As leeks grow, they can get a lot of sand and dirt stuck inside. Make sure to give them a good wash in the sink before chopping, and rewash after chopping in a strainer.
• Cut your potatoes uniformly. This allows them to cook evenly. 
• Use an immersion blender if possible. You can use a regular blender, but you might have to work in batches and you could easily burn yourself transferring the soup between the pot and blender or vice versa. 
• Need it thicker? Thicken with a bit of cornstarch. Dissolve 1 tablespoon of cornstarch in 1 tablespoon of cold water. Gradually whisk the cornstarch slurry into the soup while it is hot. Remember, it will continue to thicken as it cools down, so just thicken a little less than the consistency you want. 
• Too thick? You can thin it out with a bit of stock or milk/cream.

Leftovers

• Refrigerate leftover Potato Leek Soup with Kale in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days. Keep the soup separate from the toppings. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.
• Freeze leftovers in an airtight container (or try these “souper cubes”) for up to 3 months. Make sure you chill the soup down before adding it to the freezer. To reheat, thaw in the fridge overnight and add to a stock pot to warm through. You can also use a microwave.

A word on freezing dairy-containing soups:
As they defrost, their texture can become separated, or the texture may be off in general. If it does appear grainy or separated, simply blend again with additional milk or cream to smooth it out.

Freezer Meal Prep and Make Ahead Tips

• If you want to turn your Potato Leek Soup with Kale into a freezer meal for meal prep, you make the soup up to step 3 and puree the soup without the milk and the kale. 
• Then, freeze the soup in an airtight container for up to 3 months. You can freeze the crispy bacon for the same amount of time in an airtight container or ziplock bag.
• Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat the soup in a stock pot. Then, proceed with the rest of the recipe (adding the milk, pureeing, cooking the kale, adding your toppings, etc.)

For the bacon, you can reheat it to its former crispiness straight from frozen using one of these methods:

• Oven: Heat at 350°F for 8-10 minutes on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
• Microwave: Microwave on a paper towel-lined plate for 30-60 seconds.
• Skillet: Cook in a preheated skillet over medium heat for 2-3 minutes per side.

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