How to Make Chickpea, Leek, and Potato Soup

This is hands down, my favorite winter soup. I learned how to make it years ago from a Jamie Oliver episode on the Food Network. Though his version called for a small mountain of freshly grated Parmesan cheese, I can promise that this dairy-free version is almost as good and probably quite a bit healthier, no disrespect intended to Jamie.

To start, chop the ends off of three leeks and cut them in half as shown above.

Slice each half down the middle like this:

If you take a close look at the many layers that make up each leek, you'll probably find a few specks of dirt here and there. Don't worry about this for now.

Chop all halves into 1/4-inch pieces like this:

And transfer sliced leeks into a colander or strainer.

Give the sliced leeks a solid rinse, and don't be shy in getting in there with your hands to make sure that little bits of dirt are washed away. My mom will tell you that you have to wash each leek seven times, but you heard it from me that just a solid minute or two will do.

Next up: two small to medium-size Yukon gold (yellow flesh) potatoes. Give them a good rinse and chop them up into bite size pieces.

Combine chopped leeks and potatoes in a deep pot/saucepan and saute in a couple of tablespoons of your favorite cooking oil over medium heat. Stir frequently and cook for about five minutes, or until leeks start to look somewhat tender.

While the leeks and potatoes are sauteing, open a can of chickpeas and give them a solid rinse.

When the leeks and potatoes look something like this...

...add enough chicken or vegetable broth to cover everything. It's best to have the broth hot or boiling before adding it so that the leeks and potatoes continue to cook without down time.

Cover the pot with a lid and allow leeks and potatoes to cook in broth until the potatoes are nice and tender, but not mushy - this should take about 7 to 10 minutes.

Now add the chickpeas.

Give things a good stir and allow another minute or two of cooking, just to allow the chickpeas to cozy up to the leeks and potatoes.

Now you could serve this soup up straight away with all these glorious chunks of hearty vegetables in a clear and nourishing broth. But if you like a little creaminess to your soups, you can blend up a good portion of what you've made.

If you blend all of it, you'll have a rich and creamy soup that resembles a thick chowder. If you blend 75% of it, you'll have a chowder-like consistency with just enough chickpeas, potato chunks, and leeks to give every spoonful a lovely bit of texture.

Ah, and don't forget to season with sea salt and pepper, if desired. By seasoning after everything is cooked, you'll end up using less salt than if you had seasoned while the leeks and potatoes were cooking.

If you enjoy the richness of extra-virgin olive oil, you can drizzle just a tiny bit over each bowl just before serving.

This is where, if you're Jamie Oliver, you would add a generous serving of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. I have to admit, there are days when I am tempted to do just this, but I usually come back to remembering that avocado slices are a whole lot better for my health, and haven't you heard - avocados and chickpeas are the new peas and carrots. They are in my head, anyway.

If you'd like to print the no-frills, printer-friendly version of this recipe, you can access it here:

Chickpea, Leek, and Potato Soup Recipe

Hope you enjoy this soup as much as our family does.