The classic potato and leek combination with the added sweetness of roasted beets. Potato & Leek Soup with Roasted Beets is earthy, savoury and oh so pretty to look at.
During our last few wonderful visits to the Farmer’s Market, all the wonderful veggies that were available made it so easy to create yummy dishes in the kitchen. I love root vegetables in the fall and winter…and when I saw these HUGE leeks, I immediately scooped them up and knew turning them into soup was my plan.
I love leek and potato soup, but then I found these gorgeous gold beets (along with regular red ones) and thought…hmmm I will make Potato & Leek Soup with Roasted Beets!
Roasting beets is so easy and it really brings out their natural sweetness. I cannot ever find gold beets in the grocery store, so I try to get my fill during market season. Great for salads, side dishes…and my soup, roasted beets happen to find their way into my kitchen quite often.
If you have never roasted beets before you might be surprised at how simple it is. Wash the beets and trim the ends off. No peeling, just wrap them in foil and bake them for about 90 minutes at 425º F. NOTE: Be sure to place them on a dish as they may leak and you don’t want that mess in your oven. When they are done to your liking, unwrap and cool for a few minutes…then easily peel the skins off and they are ready to use in your favourite dishes. I use some latex gloves during the peeling process to avoid the “red” hands!!
While your beets are roasting away, go ahead and make the soup. This is a simple soup to prepare and makes great leftovers. Thinly slice the leeks and sauté them in a heavy bottomed pot. I used bacon flavoured olive oil, but the choice is yours. Sauté for about 10 minutes or until softened. I seasoned my leeks with Silk Road Scarborough Fair seasoning….if you haven’t tried their wonderful spices treat yourself…they are awesome!!
Next I added the peeled and diced potatoes to the leeks and seasoned with some dried Silk Road Chervil. To this mixture I then added chicken stock, brought everything to a boil, then reduced the heat and simmered for about 40 minutes till the potatoes were fork tender.
When the soup was done I removed a some of the chunks of potato with a slotted spoon into a bowl. I love the texture that the chunks give. Then I used my immersion blender and puréed the remaining soup into a nice smooth consistency. At this point if you want a thicker soup, return it to the heat and thicken with a bit of cornstarch/water combo. Add the chunks back into the pot.
When you are ready to serve, get your wonderful roasted beets and dice up a few. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with the beets. Stir…isn’t it so pretty!! Enjoy your wonderful soup!!
Looking for other awesome soup recipes…here are a few:
Potato & Leek Soup with Roasted Beets
Ingredients
- 2 pounds beets (roasted)
- 1 pound leeks (sliced)
- 3 pounds potatoes (peeled and diced)
- Oil for cooking (I used bacon flavoured olive oil)
- 8 cups chicken broth
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoons Scarborough Fair seasoning
- ½ teaspoons dried Chervil
- Cornstarch (to thicken)
Instructions
To roast the Beets:
- Heat oven to 425º F.
- Wash beets, trim ends (do not peel) and wrap in foil.
- Place on baking dish and roast for about 90 minutes.
- Open, cool slightly and easily peel the skin off.
For the Soup:
- Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pot and sauté for about 10 minutes. Add your seasonings (salt, pepper, and Scarborough Fair).
- Add the diced potatoes, chevril and chicken stock.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes, or until potatoes are fork tender.
- When soup is done, remove a few ladles of the potato chunks in a bowl.
- Purée remaining soup with an immersion blender.
- If you want a thicker soup, return to heat and use a cornstarch/water mixture to thicken.
- Return potato chunks to the pot.
- Ladle soup into a bowl and garnish with some of the diced roasted beets.
- ENJOY!!
Notes
Mom's Pea Soup with Ham
Creamy Multiple Mushroom Soup
Michelle
Those beets add such a lovely color to the soup! Such a great combo. Potato Leek soup is one of my favorite and I love the twist in your recipe.
Chef G
It is a great combination!!
Swayam
Love this! Potato and leek is such a great combo.. It’s one of our faves. Beets add another dimension to this.
Chef G
Yeah they really do. Really enjoyed visiting the markets…can’t wait till next season.
Shadi
Leek is one of my favorite veggies, I love the addition of beets that makes this soup hearty and delicious!
Chef G
It really is an awesome combination for soup.
Chef G
It is a great combination for sure!
Shadi
Never thought of adding beet! What a great idea!
Chef G
Thanks!!
Steph @ Steph in Thyme
I never would’ve thought to add roasted beets to soup like this, wonderful idea!
Chef G
Thanks it was the first time…I saw them at the market and thought it would be a good idea…and it was!!
pam
I love potato leek soup and I love beets! I can’t believe I never thought to combine them.
Chef G
Thanks…it was the first time I tried it…it’s awesome!!
Annie @ Annie's Noms
Potato and Leek soup is my absolute favourite, but I’ve never made it myself!! I seriously need to though, as this looks wonderful!
Chef G
Oh is such an easy soup to make….give it a try you will be happy you did!!
Oriana @Mommyhood's Diary
Potato soup is my favorite!! I love the addition of beets. I need to try this soon.
Chef G
Thanks….the beets really do add a nice touch…texture…and taste!
Adriana www.changingplate.com
What’s there not to love about this soup? I love the earthy flavor of beets! Our farmers markets are full of them too, thanks for a great idea on what to do with them! X Adriana
Chef G
Thanks…yes the market is the best place to get wonderful beets…I will miss it till next season!
IttyBittyFoodies
This is the perfect soup for fall weather. I love roasted beets but I’ve never put it in soup before.
Chef G
They are totally awesome in soup!!
Ange
Roasted beetroot is so good! I love the addition of it to the leek and potato soup – so pretty.
Chef G
Thanks…yes it does make the soup look so pretty!!
Dini @ The Flavor Bender
With the weather getting colder I’m switching gears into soups! This sounds delicious! I might make this for meatless monday (with some Vegetable Broth!) I love leeks so I know I will be having seconds (and maybe thirds!) 🙂
Chef G
Yup it certainly is soup weather. Veggie broth would work great too….ENJOY!!
michele
I love beets and am always looking for new ways to use them. The fact that potato leek soup is my favorite is an added bonus here. Cant wait to try this!
Chef G
Hope you like it as much as we do. I love roasting beets…so easy and so tasty….they really went well in the soup.
LindySez
I’ve made Potato Soup all my life, never thought to put beets in it…but sounds like a lovely combo. I guess to keep the soup from going pink, using only the golden beets would work…right? Cheers – Lindy
Chef G
Yes for sure using only golden beets…unfortunately we can only get them during market season. Enjoy!!
Julia (@Imagelicious)
This looks like a delicious fall soup. I love the addition of beets!
Chef G
Thanks Julia…we loved the roasted beets in the soup…just added another level of flavour, texture…and of course colour!!