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Vegan Light Creamy Leek & New Potato Soup

Vegan Light Creamy Leek & New Potato Soup — Spring Dinner Recipe

Bright, herby leeks meet tender new potatoes and a lemony herby oil for a bowl that feels light, creamy, and perfectly spring-y — without any dairy. If you want a weeknight dinner that tastes gentle but grown-up, this is it.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings: 2
Course: DINNER
Cuisine: American
Calories: 470
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • Soup
  • 3 large leeks white & light green parts only, thinly sliced
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 large sprigs fresh sage or rosemary
  • 10 –12 sprigs fresh thyme about 7 g
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • Kosher salt & freshly cracked black pepper
  • 12 oz 340 g Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced
  • 6 cloves garlic finely chopped
  • 1 tsp Aleppo pepper or ¼–½ tsp red pepper flakes — optional
  • 4 cups 960 ml good-quality vegetable broth
  • 2 15 oz / 425 g cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (see note on drained weight)
  • 3 oz 85 g fresh baby spinach, chopped — optional
  • Herby Oil
  • 1 cup 14 g flat-leaf parsley (leaves only), finely chopped
  • 1 handful 8 g fresh dill (leaves only) — or more parsley if you prefer
  • Zest of 2 medium lemons use microplane
  • 1 clove garlic grated or minced
  • ½ tsp flaky sea salt
  • ¼ cup 56 g extra virgin olive oil

Equipment

  • Dutch oven or large soup pot (at least 4–6 qt)
  • Cutting board and sharp knife
  • Microplane or fine grater (for lemon zest)
  • Immersion blender (or countertop blender — be careful with hot liquids)
  • Tongs or slotted spoon (to remove bouquet garni)
  • Measuring cups & spoons
  • Small jar with lid (for whisking/shaking the herby oil)
  • No fancy toys required. If you have an immersion blender, the one-pot route feels easiest.

Method
 

  1. Prep the leeks
  2. Cut off the roots and the dark green tops of the leeks. Slice the remaining white and pale-green parts thinly, then put them in a bowl of cold water and agitate to loosen grit. Scoop the leeks out with your hands or a slotted spoon and pat dry. Dirt stays where it belongs — not in your soup.
  3. Make the bouquet garni
  4. Pile the bay leaves, sage sprigs, and thyme together and tie them with kitchen twine. If you don’t have twine, use a long parsley stem or tuck them into a small square of cheesecloth. This saves you from fishing twiggy bits out later.
  5. Sauté the leeks
  6. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in the Dutch oven over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add the leeks with a couple of pinches of salt and sauté 7–9 minutes until they soften and begin to brown. Stir now and then so they color evenly.
  7. Add garlic, spice, and potatoes
  8. Toss in the garlic and Aleppo pepper; cook 1–2 minutes until fragrant. Add the diced potatoes, the bouquet garni, ½ tsp kosher salt, cracked pepper to taste, and 4 cups vegetable broth. Bring to a boil.
  9. Add beans and simmer
  10. Add the rinsed cannellini beans, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 20–25 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Stir a couple times so nothing sticks.
  11. Blend for texture
  12. Remove and discard the bouquet garni. Use an immersion blender to puree about half the soup, leaving some beans and potato chunks for texture. If you use a stand blender, transfer half the soup, blend (vent the lid with a towel), then return it to the pot. Do not blend everything — texture matters.
  13. Finish with spinach & season
  14. Stir in the chopped baby spinach, simmer 1–2 minutes until it wilts, then taste and adjust salt and pepper. Add more Aleppo or red chili if you want a little heat.
  15. Make the herby oil & serve
  16. Combine parsley, dill, lemon zest, grated garlic, flaky salt, and ¼ cup olive oil in a small jar. Shake until emulsified. Spoon the herby oil over each bowl just before serving. That bright, lemony drizzle turns this from “nice” to “wow.”

Notes

Nutrition & calorie estimate

I like to give a practical calorie ballpark so you know what you’re eating. I calculated an approximate total of ~1,869 kcal for the entire pot, which breaks down to ~470 kcal per serving for 4 servings.
Assumptions used for estimate (conservative, kitchen-friendly):
  • Leeks: ~240 g total
  • Potatoes: 340 g
  • Olive oil total: 84 g (2 tbsp in soup + ¼ cup in herby oil)
  • Cannellini beans drained: ~480 g total
  • Garlic & spinach: small amounts included
Those numbers give a realistic, practical estimate. If you skip the herby oil or use less oil overall, you’ll shave calories. If you serve with bread, tack that on separately.