Potato Leek Soup with Pancetta
and warm shaved brussels sprouts salad
This wintery soup and salad combo plays with savory and sweet flavors all of which can be made ahead and kept in the fridge for several days.
Smarts: A quick saute of shaved brussels sprouts brings out their natural sweetness and bright color while still retaining some crunch.
Ingredients
- Leeks - 2, sliced and rinsed
- Potatoes, russet - 1 lb, peeled and chopped
- Oil, cooking - 1 Tbsp
- Pancetta - 4 oz (look for this pre-chopped in the deli section)
- Butter - 3 Tbsp
- Flour - 3 Tbsp
- Stock, any type - 3 cups
- Vinegar, white wine - 1 tsp
- Yogurt, plain or Greek - 4 Tbsp
- Brussels sprouts - 10 oz, trimmed and thinly sliced (look for pre-shredded to save time)
- Cheese, Parmesan - 2 oz, grated
- Dates, dried - 6, thinly sliced (sub dried cranberries, ~⅓ cup for 6 dates)
- Oil, olive - 2 Tbsp
- Mustard, Dijon - 2 tsp
- Maple syrup - 2 tsp
- Oil, cooking - 1 Tbsp
- Almonds, sliced - 1/4 cup
Nutrition Facts
Prep
- Brussels sprouts / Cheese - Slice off and discard stems of brussels sprouts. Prep by hand or use a food processor (which will make prep go very fast). Add shredding attachment to bowl and feed brussels sprouts through shredder. Wipe out bowl and put standard blade attachment in food processor. Chop cheese into large chunks and pulse in the food processor until grated. Store cheese and brussels sprouts separately. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Leeks / Dates - Prep as directed and store separately. (Can be done up to 4 days ahead)
- Potatoes - Peel and chop potatoes. If prepping ahead, soak potatoes in water to prevent them from turning brown. (Can be done 1 day ahead)
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Make
- Heat a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add cooking oil (the portion for the soup) and then pancetta to heated oil. Saute pancetta until crisp and fat has rendered, 2 to 4 minutes.
- Use a slotted spoon to transfer pancetta to a paper towel-lined plate. If there is excess grease in pan, drain off all but ~1 Tbsp / 15 mL (for 4 servings; adjust if customizing), or if the pan is dry, add a splash of cooking oil. Add leeks with a pinch of salt and saute until leeks soften and start to turn golden brown in spots, 2 to 4 minutes. Add butter and stir until butter melts. Sprinkle flour over top and stir until no dry spots of flour remain.
- Add stock while whisking to incorporate with flour. Add potatoes and vinegar and bring to a boil. Place a lid on the pan and reduce heat to a low simmer. Simmer until potatoes are tender, 12 to 15 minutes.
- While soup simmers, in a large serving bowl, whisk together olive oil, mustard and maple syrup. Set aside.
- Heat a wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add cooking oil (the portion for the brussels sprouts) and then brussels sprouts to heated oil. Saute until brussels sprouts turn bright green but still have some crunch, 1 to 3 minutes.
- Add brussels sprouts to serving bowl with prepared dressing. Add cheese, dates and almonds and toss to combine.
- When potatoes are cooked, blend soup with an immersion blender until smooth (skip this if you would prefer a chunky soup). Taste and season with some salt.
- Serve soup with a spoonful of yogurt and pancetta on top. Enjoy with warm brussels sprouts salad on the side.
Nutrition Facts
Reviews
Ratings
55 reviews
Delicious. I liked it so much I had the leftovers for lunch. And I did not think I would like it.
0 HelpfulNeeded to use up some potatoes and a leek so I made this but I don’t really like soup that much and this was so thick! Almost like mashed potato. Wish I’d had some pancetta in to add some different flavours.
0 HelpfulDidn't make this the first time but had some potatoes and leeks and needed an easy dinner so this was perfect! The soup was very thick but we kept it that way and really enjoyed it. Used craisins in the salad and thought the combo worked well. Oh and bacon instead of pancetta because that's what we already had.
0 Helpful