This is one of those recipes that, with one simple substitution (vegetable instead of chicken stock) and one omission (bacon), is easily a vegan meal.

The upside to living with a gluten-free, dairy-free person is that we eat fresh and eat well. We also eat quite a few meatless meals, but still enjoy a full omnivore diet. And really, aren’t most things better with bacon?

A couple weeks ago, our CSA farm share supplied us with some really nice leeks and potatoes, so we made soup.

In searching for vegan soups, several folks added onion, which I found intriguing, but only one I came across included grated onion. Though there was no real explanation or reasoning behind it, I added the grated onion. I didn’t notice much of a difference, so you can probably just dice it to save yourself some time and cleanup.

Ingredients

One bunch leeks (three)

One medium yellow onion, grated or finely diced

Dried dill from Penzey’s

Penzey’s caraway seeds. In my opinion, no potato soup should exclude caraway.

One sprig of fresh rosemary, or to taste

Trader Joe’s uncured bacon

Approx. 8oz of Mimicreme Vegan Cream (this one:)

Approx 16 oz. Kitchen Basics unsalted chicken stock (replace with vegetable stock for vegan)

Fresh chives for garnish

Directions

1. If you’re using bacon, heat a dutch oven or similar vessel over medium-high heat, add a small amount of canola oil, and then cook the bacon. Reserve the bacon, and then remove most of the fat. Lower the heat to medium-low, and skip to step 3.
2. If not using bacon, in a dutch oven or similar vessel, heat about two tbsp. (again, i never measure) of canola oil over medium-low heat.
3. Add the leeks and allow to sweat for a bit. Your goal here is not to brown, but to release moisture.
4. After a few minutes, add the onion and allow to sweat.
5. Once the onions look translucent, add the potatoes.
6. Add the stock, rosemary, and caraway seeds.
7. Bring to a boil, then simmer on low until potatoes are cooked through.
8. Add cream and stir.
9. Use a stick blender to smooth out the soup.
10. Serve in warm bowls, garnish with bacon (optional), snipped chives, and a swirl of extra-virgin olive oil.