Chipotle Potato and Leek Soup

Ingredients

• ¼ cup butter
• 2 large leeks, white and light green parts, chopped, or more to taste
• salt to taste
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced, or more to taste
• 1 chipotle pepper in adobo, minced, or more to taste
• 1 pinch ground cumin, or to taste
• 1 pinch dried thyme, or to taste
• white pepper to taste
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 3 Yukon Gold potatoes, diced
• ½ cup milk
• ¼ cup heavy whipping cream

Step 1

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium-low heat. Toss in the leeks with a pinch of salt and cook them gently, stirring often, until they’re really soft and tender—this should take about 20 minutes. Next, add the red bell pepper and garlic, cooking and stirring for a couple of minutes until fragrant. Then stir in the chipotle pepper, cumin, thyme, and white pepper, letting the spices toast for another 2 minutes.

Step 2

Pour in the vegetable broth and add the potatoes. Bring everything to a boil, then lower the heat, cover the pot, and let it simmer. Give it a stir now and then, cooking until the potatoes are nice and tender, which usually takes around 30 minutes. Once the potatoes are soft, stir in the milk and cream. Remove the pot from the heat and let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes to cool down a bit.

Step 3

Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until it’s as smooth as you like. Finally, pop the pot back on the stove and warm the soup through for about 5 minutes before serving.