Freezer Friendly Recipe Rave!

Last night, I made a double batch of this Potato Leek Soup recipe. It was DELICIOUS! Now, most websites don't recommend using potatoes in freezer recipes, since they end up with a rather mealy texture. Not an issue in this recipe, since, once you cook the whole thing up, you stick in the immersion blender and blend the crap out of it, until it is nice and velvety and smooth!

Recipe Pros:
-Very easy. You prep the veggies. Stick it in a pot and boil. Then blend.
-It LOOKS super creamy and rich, but only uses 1 TB butter and 1/2 cup of 2% milk.
-A double batch makes a lot of soup! Made enough for dinner for two people, 2 freezer bags (with about 8 ladle-fulls--which comes up to around 4 servings), plus a small container for me to take for lunch the next day.
-Brian liked it!


Recipe Cons:
-You really do need to toss in some additions to make it super yummy (see below)
-It does make a lot of soup, so if you are cooking for just one, or don't want to freeze it, I suggest a half recipe.
-The instructions say to cut the leeks into rounds, rinse (very important, especially if your leeks come from the farmer's market!) then chop. Whatever. You're blending the whole thing anyway, right? An extra, unnecessary step, in my opinion.

Overall Review:

5 thumbs up (with the additions)!

My additions to the recipe:
#1 bacon. Everything tastes better with bacon! I just chopped up a few strips and cooked them up until they were nice and crispy. Then put it on top when I was serving.
#2 cheese. Along with the bacon, I added a good handful of a grated cheddar/jack blend. It added an extra boost of protein for me (plus cheese. Kind of a no brainer for me, right?)
#3 parsley. I topped the soups with some parsley. I do NOT recommend doing this. The flavors clash. Next time, I would recommend either topping with chives or the green parts of the green onion, sliced very thinly.

Gina's Potato Leek Soup

(from Gina's Skinny Recipes at  www.skinnytaste.com)

Servings: 6 • Serving Size: 1 cup • Old Points: 3 pt • Points+: 3 pt
Calories: 110.3 • Fat: 0.7 g • Protein: 3.5 g • Carb: 23.2g • Fiber: 2.3 g • Sugar: 3.4 g
Sodium 660.6 mg (without adding salt)
 

• 1 bunch leeks (about 4) dark green stems removed
• 1/2 large white onion, chopped
• 2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1 tbsp butter
• 4 cups fat free chicken stock (or vegetable broth for vegetarians)
• 1/2 cup 2% milk
• salt and fresh pepper

Wash leeks very carefully to remove all grit. I usually cut them horizontally and separate the rings to make sure no dirt remains. Coarsely chop them when washed.

In a medium soup pot, melt butter and add flour on low flame. Using a wooden spoon, mix well. This will thicken your soup and give it a wonderful flavor.

Add chicken stock, leeks, onion, potatoes and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer on low for about 20-25 minutes, until potatoes are soft. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth adding the milk and adjusting salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.