This thick, cozy Crock Pot Potato Leek Soup with Sausage is the ultimate comfort food. It’s easy to make, and tastes like a hug in a bowl!
Table of Contents
- A Wholesome, Comfy, Slow Cooker Potato Soup Recipe
- Why Is Leek and Potato Soup Good for You?
- The Ingredients You’ll Need
- Which Part of the Leek Is Best for Soup?
- How to Make Crock Pot Potato Leek Soup
- Helpful Tips
- Tasty Side Dishes
- Storing and Reheating
- Can I Freeze Potato Leek Soup?
- Get the Recipe
- More Cozy Slow Cooker Soup Recipes
A Wholesome, Comfy, Slow Cooker Potato Soup Recipe
If you are a soup-lover, this easy soup is gonna blow your mind – it definitely blew mine! As you guys probably already know, I am a big fan of any potato recipe, including great soups like Instant Pot Potato Soup and this super-scrumptious Loaded Baked Potato Soup. But this slow cooker potato soup recipe with tender leeks and smoky sausage might just be my favorite.
For one thing, can we say Crock Pot? There’s nothing quite like throwing dinner into the slow cooker to take pressure off a busy day. For another, the addition of sausage to the soup really kicks it up a notch in terms of making a filling, satisfying meal. Even people who aren’t very enthusiastic about soup will devour this one, guys. Finally, I love adding leeks to my soup – onions are great, too, but leeks have that subtle taste and fine texture that make this recipe even more special.
Why Is Leek and Potato Soup Good for You?
Leek and potato soup is good for you primarily because of its healthy fiber and anti-inflammatory properties. Both potatoes and leeks are both good sources of fiber, which keeps you full and helps your digestive system. Fiber works best when combined with liquid, so this creamy soup does it all!
Additionally, leeks are known to be anti-inflammatory, which is great for all of your major systems. On top of that, leeks contain antimicrobial chemical compounds that can fight unhealthy bacteria, keeping your digestive system balanced and healthy.
The Ingredients You’ll Need
So, as you know from the title, this soup includes leeks, sausage, and potatoes. Let’s go into a little more detail about those items and the rest of the ingredients, too.
- Bacon: Starting the soup with bacon helps add some nice depth of flavor.
- Butter: Unsalted butter. If you use salted butter, you may need to reduce the amount of salt added to this recipe.
- Onion: A small diced onion – yellow, white, Vidalia, or whatever you have on hand.
- Leeks: Use the white parts only, and make sure to clean them well to remove grit.
- Seasonings: Smoked paprika, salt, and pepper.
- Garlic: I like to use minced, fresh garlic in this recipe – but you could definitely substitute garlic powder in a pinch.
- Potatoes: Petite red potatoes, scrubbed and quartered.
- Celery: Cleaned and diced.
- Chicken Stock: Or chicken broth, or chicken bone broth.
- Wine: A little bit of white wine elevates the recipe and adds more depth.
- Rosemary: Fresh rosemary leaves, finely minced. You could substitute dried rosemary, or even use another herb like thyme if you prefer.
- Cajun Seasoning: Any Cajun seasoning blend that you like, we love Slap Ya Mama!
- Cream: Heavy cream is so luscious in this recipe! For a slightly lighter soup, you can substitute half and half, or milk.
- Cheese: Shredded cheddar cheese and grated parmesan or romano.
- Sausage: Hot Italian sausage is my favorite. Remove the casings, brown the sausage, and crumble it.
- Chives: Fresh chopped chives are the perfect finishing touch.
Which Part of the Leek Is Best for Soup?
Most recipes call for using just the white part of leeks – and I have to agree. The white end of the leek is the most tender, while the green parts are tougher and less appealing. You can use a little bit of the pale green part if you want to, but just know that it may cause your soup to have some tougher bits of leek in there. To use up the green parts of a leek, try tossing them in the pot when you make chicken broth or beef broth!
How to Make Crock Pot Potato Leek Soup
On to the cooking process! This is the fun part. Some parts of this soup must be prepped on the stove- it’s not a dump-and-go recipe, so you will need a bit of time to get that prep work in. Most of the “work” is done by the slow cooker, though!
- Cook the Bacon. Set a large, heavy-bottomed pan (like a Dutch oven) over medium heat. Cook your bacon until it’s crisp, and then place the cooked pieces on a paper-towel-lined plate to cool and drain. Don’t drain the bacon grease from the pan. Once the bacon cools, crumble it into bacon bits and place them in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.
- Cook the Onions, Leeks, Seasonings, and Garlic. In the same pan, melt the butter right in there with the bacon grease. Add the diced onions and sliced leeks, and saute them for a few minutes until they start to soften. Sprinkle in the paprika, salt, and pepper, and stir that around. Then add the garlic, and let it cook for a minute or so. Don’t let it scorch, or the whole dish will taste burnt.
- Load Up the Crock Pot. Spritz cooking spray on the inside of your slow cooker insert, so things don’t stick to it during the cooking. Transfer the cooked onion and leek mixture to the slow cooker, followed by the potatoes, celery, chicken stock, white wine, rosemary, and Cajun seasoning.
- Cook the Soup! Stir the ingredients, cover, and cook on LOW for 8 hours (or on HIGH for 4 hours). Once the cooking time is over, turn off the slow cooker and remove the lid.
- Brown the Sausage. Now it’s time to cook the Italian sausage until it’s browned and cooked through. Break apart the meat as you cook it, and once it’s done, drain any grease and set the sausage aside. Do not add it to the soup just yet!
- Blend. Next, blend the soup mixture with an immersion blender to get your preferred level of creaminess. If you don’t want to use an immersion blender, you could transfer the soup in batches to a standard blender, and blend it that way. (Be careful, it’s hot!)
- Add the Cream, Cheese, and Sausage. Almost done! Stir the heavy cream into the soup, and then add the cheeses and the crumbled sausage. Stir until the cheese is melted.
- Finish the Dish. Taste the soup, and adjust your salt and pepper to taste. Toss the crumbled bacon in the microwave for 30 seconds, to warm it up before serving.
- Enjoy! Serve the potato leek soup with crumbled bacon and chives sprinkled on top.
Helpful Tips
To make this semi-gourmet, totally delicious soup recipe, it can be helpful to understand a few cooking techniques and have a couple of helpful tips as well. Here are my best pieces of advice for the perfect bowl o’ soup:
- Slow Cooker Temperature: All slow cookers cook at different temperatures, so you may need more or less time to cook the potatoes until tender.
- Cooling the Soup: It is important to allow this soup to set and cool slightly, so that the flavors can meld together.
- Adding Heat: For a spicier soup, add ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper or cayenne pepper.
- Cheese Options: Feel free to use different cheeses – gouda, would be a great addition!
- Cleaning Leeks: Leeks can be a little dirty, so they’ll need to be cleaned thoroughly before you add them to the soup. A good, quick cleaning method is to slice the leeks, place them in a colander, and rinse them until no more dirt remains. Dry the leeks on paper towels before sautéing.
Tasty Side Dishes
An easy way to serve potato leek soup is simply adding a side salad and some garlic bread, or go fancy with my favorite Goat Cheese Garlic Bread, to each serving. You could also make one or more of these tasty sides:
- Bread: Up the ante by serving this easy homemade Beer Bread instead of regular garlic bread – it’s totally amazing with potato leek soup! You could also go with some classic Sweet Corn Bread!
- Broccoli Salad: If you want to make a truly amazing salad that will have everyone happily crunching on their veggies, I can’t recommend this Easy Broccoli Salad with Bacon enough! It’s a classic at potlucks, but it’s also great to make for a family dinner.
Storing and Reheating
You can store leftover soup in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Transfer the soup to airtight containers to keep it fresh, and keep other food odors out.
To reheat, place the desired amount of soup in a saucepan and heat over medium-low heat, stirring, until the soup is warmed through but not boiling. You can also microwave the soup for 30 second bursts, stirring between each burst.
Can I Freeze Potato Leek Soup?
Due to the cream (or milk) in this recipe, I would not recommend freezing it. There is a chance it will separate when thawed, which would spoil the texture. If you are concerned that this recipe will make too much to use without freezing, I recommend cutting the ingredient amounts in half to make a smaller batch.
Crock Pot Potato Leek Soup with Sausage
Ingredients
- 6 slices bacon
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ small onion, diced
- 2 large leeks, (white parts only) cleaned and sliced
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 pounds petite red potatoes, cleaned and quartered
- 3 stalks celery, cleaned and diced
- 6 cups chicken stock
- ½ cup white wine
- ½ teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves, finely minced
- 1 teaspoon cajun seasoning
- 1 cup heavy cream, or milk
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup grated parmesan, or romano cheese
- 1 pound hot Italian sausage, (casings removed) cooked and crumbled
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Chives, optional topping
Instructions
- In a large, heavy bottomed pan (like a dutch oven), fry bacon until crispy. Do not drain bacon grease. Transfer cooked bacon to a plate covered with a paper towel to capture excess grease and set aside. Once cooled, crumble bacon, cover and place in refrigerator until ready to serve.
- In the same heavy bottom pan, add butter to bacon grease. Melt over medium heat. Add diced onions and sliced leeks. Sauté for 3 to 4 minutes, until they begin to soften. Sprinkle with paprika, salt, and pepper then stir to coat. Add minced garlic and sauté for another minute, or until fragrant.
- Spritz cooking spray on inside of crock pot. Transfer onion/leek mixture to a 6 or 7 quart slow cooker. Add potatoes, celery, chicken stock, white wine, rosemary, and Cajun seasoning to crock pot. Stir to combine. Cover with lid and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours.
- Once cook time is over, turn off slow cooker and remove lid.
- In a skillet, cook the Italian sausage until browned and cooked through, breaking apart the meat as you cook it. Drain any grease and set aside. Do not add sausage to soup yet!
- Next, blend soup mixture with immersion blender till desired texture. (Or carefully transfer soup in batches to a standard blender and blend to desired texture. If using a standard blender, transfer back to crock.)
- Add heavy cream and stir. Add the cheeses and crumbled sausage to the soup and stir until cheese melted.
- Taste soup and adjust seasoning to taste. Toss crumbled bacon in microwave for 30 seconds to warm up before serving. Top bowls of soup with crumbled bacon and chives. Enjoy!
Notes
- Slow Cooker Temperature: All slow cookers cook at different temperatures, so you may need more or less time to cook the potatoes until tender.
- Cooling the Soup: It is important to allow this soup to set and cool slightly, so that the flavors can meld together.
- Adding Heat: For a spicier soup, add ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper or cayenne pepper.
- Cheese Options: Feel free to use different cheeses – gouda, would be a great addition!
- Cleaning Leeks: Leeks can be a little dirty, so they’ll need to be cleaned thoroughly before you add them to the soup. A good, quick cleaning method is to slice the leeks, place them in a colander, and rinse them until no more dirt remains. Dry the leeks on paper towels before sautéing.
- Storage: You can store leftover soup in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
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More Cozy Slow Cooker Soup Recipes
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