Slow Cooker Cream of Leek Soup with Chorizo Croutons will warm any Winter chills and make a satisfying meal the entire family will love. A dreamy leek soup recipe.
This year had been terribly cold. I have loved the snow this year, but the cold has been rough. This Slow Cooker Cream of Leek Soup with Chorizo “Croutons” is my way of warming up all the way down to my toes. Plus, my kids dig Cream of Leek. I don’t know what their deal is, but I’ll take it.
Cold winter days are not a good match for me. I am a born and bred West Coast girl and I am terribly fair weathered. I hated soccer in the rain (or worse snow!) growing up, which is slightly ironic given that it rains about 7-8 months of the year here.
This soup sends me slowly back in time to my grandparents house. Not just warming, but sentimental as well. Cream of Leek was the soup my Nana always made me (granted it was from a package and not from scratch), but the smells and tastes of this soup are sensations I yearn for regularly.
We would have potato bread with bacon slices on it and cream of leek soup frequently. I didn’t realize how much I loved it until I tried that little package out recently when I wasn’t feeling good and want something quick and soothing. Since my kids all loved it as well, I knew I had to figure out how to make it (easily) from scratch.
Since “slow cooker” translates to “easy” for me I chopped up a bunch of vegetables, added some herbs, and broth and crossed my fingers that I got the measurements some what close. It took 3 attempts, but I think I’ve got it figured out.
I also put some celery in the first time, which tasted nice, but turned it a weird colour which was not photogenic. This soup is silky and thick, but not chowder thick. If you like a really thick soup I’d recommend cutting down the amount of broth added by 1/2-1 cup.
Belly warming chorizo “croutons” were a solid choice for this dish. Crumbled crispy bacon or even Italian Sausage would also be lovely to add texture and create more iron for the soup. I made my kids chicken thighs and skipped the chorizo as I knew it would certainly be too spicy for them.
I loved the textural crispy to smooth contrast the chorizo created next to the soup as well as the spicy chorizo being soothed by the creamy velvety spoonfuls of liquid that followed. I don’t do spicy foods well, but this dish was very pleasing.
This dish is easy made vegetarian or even vegan. Skip the meat and replace the cream with additional broth if so desired. Either way, get warmed up with this serious bowl of comfort.
I served the soup with some nice bread to round out the meal. Grilled cheese could be amazing 😉
Other soup recipes we love include these:
Slow Cooker Cream of Leek Soup with Chorizo Croutons will warm any Winter chills and make a satisfying meal the entire family will love. A dreamy leek soup recipe.
- 4 medium leeks, white and pale green parts roughly chopped
- 1 medium yellow cooking onion, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 large russet potato or 2 smaller ones, approx. 1.25-1.5 lbs, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 medium leaf, dried or fresh
- 1 tsp dried thyme or 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1/2 cups whipping cream*
- 3-4 links chorizo sausage, casings removed and crumbled into large chunks
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Place leeks, onto, potato, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, salt, pepper and broth into a slow cooker or crockpot.
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Cook on low for 5-6 hours or high for 2-3 hours.
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Carefully transfer to a blender or using an immersion blender, blend ingredients until smooth and silky.
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Return to slow cooker and drizzle in whipping cream. Keep warm.
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Place in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook, stirring occasionally until cooked through and crispy, about 7-12 minutes.
- skip whipping cream to make this soup dairy free. The "creaminess" actually comes from the potato being blended with the leeks.
Enjoy! xo
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