Creamy Bacon, Potato & Leek Soup (Recipe)

Hearty potatoes, leeks and celeriac combine with smoky, luscious One Straw Bacon for a rich, creamy, warming meal.

It’s so delicious, satisfying and nourishing it’s become a staple at our house this winter.

I know you’re going to love it, too, so I just had to share it with you.

One of the reasons this recipe is so fabulous? The ingredients are all available from local farms right now – in the dead of winter during a cold snap.

How cool is that?

Like you, we love eating from local farms.

And while we may be yearning longingly for the first Spring strawberries, it feels good to revel in a meal that is perfect for right now – and delicious.

Even our small Farmhands clean their bowls when I serve Bacon, Potato & Leek Soup. 🥣

Actually, we just call it Bacon Soup at our house – thanks, Farmhand Grace 😁

But despite Grace’s shortened name for it, you only need 4 slices of bacon for this recipe. So you’ll have plenty left over for breakfast, to sprinkle on a salad as homemade bacon bits, or to start a luscious sauce.

Do you ever cook with celeriac?

I have to confess that I hadn’t, until we started getting the gnarly bulbs in our vegetable CSA box last fall. Not quite sure what to do with them, they languished in my crisper until one night I chopped them up and added them to this soup.

Love it when acts of desperation create fortuitous results. YUM. They immediately became part of the permanent recipe.

But if you don’t have access to celeriac root, don’t worry… they’re completely optional and the soup is still divine without them.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve sure been feeling the chill lately.

Guess we might as well make the best of what the season has to offer and cozy up with a creamy bowl of soup. Mmmmm

Bacon, Potato & Leek Soup

Ingredients

1 tsp oil

4 strips bacon, diced

1-2 large leeks (4 C), white parts only, sliced thin

1 8oz celeriac bulb (1 C), diced fine (optional)

2 lbs potatoes (6 C), 1/2" cubes

1 qt chicken broth or homemade Bare Bones Pork Broth

¼ tsp dried thyme

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp black pepper

1 bay leaf

½ C half & half

Directions

Dice the bacon. Preheat a pot over medium heat. Swirl in the oil then add the bacon and cook, stirring as needed, until brown.

Removed the cooked bacon bits from the skillet with a slotted spoon and set aside in a bowl.

Do NOT drain the bacon drippings.

To the pot, add the sliced leeks. Sauté, scraping the bottom of the pan to release any browned bits, approximately 5 minutes or until the leeks are tender.

Add broth, potatoes, celeriac (optional), thyme, salt, pepper and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, then reduce heat to maintain a simmer. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, 20 minutes or until the potatoes soften and start to break down.

Taste for salt and adjust as needed.

Remove the bay leaf.

For a creamy soup, like the one pictured, partially puree the hot soup with a stick blender, or mash with a potato masher, so that most of the potato & celeriac is smooth.

Add the half & half, the reserved bacon bits, and several generous grinds fresh black pepper.

Stir to combine and serve.

Click here to order Bacon.