What to Serve with Potato Soup: Easy Sides for an Elegant Instant Pot Gathering
Here is a complete menu of what to serve with potato soup for dinner! If you are feeling uninspired and tired of cooking at home or that “dump meal in a crock pot” seems pretty stale, then read on! Here is some inspiration to help you prepare a delicious meal elegant enough to share with company.
Entertain at Home
I enjoy a good pot of hearty soup all year, but especially in the winter. It is faster than preparing a standard meat and potatoes dish but is still a hearty meal.
Additionally, serving soup for your main course is a great way to entertain at home with ease! And rest assured, although tomato soup with grilled cheese sandwiches is a classic pairing, this menu provides you with an elegant offering for your guests.
Pour a glass of wine, play some tunes to get your groove on, and approach creating an elegant, delicious, memorable dinner with joy! Get everyone involved and make it a great memory.
Recipe Tips for Leek and Potato Soup
This great recipe isn’t just for a hearty bowl of potato soup. We are transforming this classic comfort food by adding leeks. So it really is a potato leek soup.
This creamy soup is fast thanks to the Instant Pot, but you can also make it on the stovetop.
Leek and Potato soup is an Irish staple where leeks and potatoes are commonly grown, so it is a rustic and simple soup at its roots. A good “rib sticker” my Mom would say.
Transform it from hearty farmhouse fare to an elegant main dish with a few tweaks which are highlighted below. Every time we make this easy recipe our company gobbles it up!
Preparing the Leeks
Don’t let the leeks fool you. They look challenging in the grocery store, but once sauteed they transform into this tender, mild onion goodness.
To begin, clean the leeks really well. The best way is by following these steps:
- Fill a large bowl with water and set aside.
- Slice the end or root off the leeks and discard.
- Chop off the dark leaves and set them aside. (You can use these to make a yummy vegetable stock another time.)
- Cut the light part of the leek in half and separate the layers. Put them in the water and gently shake them around a bit to dislodge the grit. Do this several times. Over time, the grit goes to the bottom of the bowl while the leeks float on top.
- Remove the leeks from the water using your hands and drain in a colander until you are ready to make the soup. Discard the water.
Choose your Potato
Different recipes call for Russet, Yukon, or sometimes red potatoes. Use whichever you like really. The Yukon potatoes give the soup a lighter consistency, while the russets are a bit heartier. This choice may be quickly decided by what you have available in your pantry.
How to Make this Leek and Potato Soup Recipe
Here are two ways to cook this recipe.
Using the Instant Pot
- Using the sauté function, melt the butter (you can also use olive oil) in the instant pot. Once melted, add the cleaned, sliced leeks and salt and sauté until soft. Add the garlic; sauté for 30 seconds and turn off the sauté function.
- Remove a small portion of the leeks and set them aside for serving.
- Add the thyme, oregano, bay leaves, white wine, stock, and potatoes to the leek mixture in the pot and stir to incorporate. Set the Instant Pot to high pressure for 10 minutes.
- Once complete, use the quick release and open the pot.
- Remove the bay leaves and add in the heavy cream.
- Use an immersion blender to puree the soup to the consistency you desire.
You can make this soup a bit more rustic by leaving the vegetables a bit chunky when blending them.
On the other hand, another approach is to completely puree the soup with the immersion blender. This transforms the soup into an elegant, creamy dish. Serve it to your company with a drizzle of thinned sour cream and Parmesan shavings.
After blending, set the instant pot to warm and heat the soup through.
How to Make Leek and Potato Soup Using a Dutch Oven
If you do not have an Instant Pot you can still make this creamy soup.
- In a large pot or dutch oven, melt the butter over low heat. You can also use olive oil.
- Add the leeks and cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds – until fragrant.
- Add the thyme, oregano, bay leaves, white wine, vegetable or chicken stock, and potatoes. Cover and simmer gently until the vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.
- Remove the bay leaves and add in the heavy cream.
- Use an immersion blender to puree the soup to the consistency you desire.
- Turn the burner heat to warm after using the blender.
If you want a cheesier soup, add a couple of tablespoons of cream cheese to the soup just before using the immersion blender. Additionally, if you don’t have vegetable stock, chicken stock works just fine in this recipe. Make it a perfect dish by adding what you like.
What to Serve with Potato Soup for Dinner
There are actually many delicious side dishes incorporating different vegetables that will pair well with Leek and Potato Soup.
Simple Salad
A simple salad using fresh vegetables is a nice contrast to a hearty soup.
A green crisp salad is a perfect side dish for this creamy potato soup. A good choice especially in cooler weather is this Green Salad with Apple and Celery.
Another delicious way to serve salad is to make an arugula salad with fresh vegetables and toss it with a lemon juice or wine-based dressing. Or take it up a notch with a spinach salad topped with hot bacon dressing. Or how about a classic Caesar salad? A chopped broccoli salad is also one of the best side dishes for this soup.
A perfect dressing for any kind of green salad is this recipe for Gold Standard Vinaigrette. It is great in the salad recipe, but you can make it for any kind of salad you like. Make yours today!
Roasted Vegetables
Another great side dish is roasted Brussels sprouts.
Or you can roast cauliflower or butternut squash with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper for one of your delicious sides.
Simple ingredients can make truly delicious recipes!
Crusty Bread with Soup
What is soup without the crusty bread to sop it up? A good hearty loaf of sourdough bread with that delicious crispy crust sounds divine! Warm dinner rolls are also a delicious way to get every drop out of your bowl.
You can even make your favorite garlic bread recipe to go with this soup.
Get on the stress-baking bandwagon and make your own delicious bread! Here are some to try:
You can also check out No Knead Bread Central for some really good and easy bread-baking video recipes and tips
Leftovers for Lunch
Make enough of this soup to have leftovers. Reheat a bowl of creamy leek and potato soup to serve with a ham sandwich.
Another good accompaniment is a roast beef sandwich.
Chicken legs from your air fryer will also pack a protein punch for lunch.
Great Toppings are What to Serve with Potato Soup
A great idea when making this recipe for guests is to set up a toppings bar. The best part about a topping bar is everyone can take their soup to the next level in deliciously different ways. It only takes a little bit of time and can have a great wow factor for your company.
Here are some good toppings for this great dish:
- shredded cheddar cheese
- feta cheese
- sour cream
- Parmesan cheese
- crispy bacon broken into bacon bits
- spicy sausage
- chopped green onions
- Crispy pan-fried shallots
- Extra sauteed leeks
- croutons
Another good idea for toppings is homemade croutons. Make your own by baking puff pastry until golden brown and chop into one-inch pieces.
Complete Menu for What to Serve with Potato Soup
Here is your complete menu!
Simple Green Salad with Gold Standard Vinaigrette
Instant Pot Leek and Potato Soup (Recipe Below)
Vanilla Ice Cream with Chocolate Dipping sauce or Bailey’s Irish Cream
Suggested Wine Pairing
A delightful pairing with this menu is Conundrum white wine. This wine goes well with a bowl of soup with a creamy texture and is quite interesting on its own.
Yes, you could serve a Chardonnay as well, or even a Chenin Blanc. However, the Conundrum is a bit more interesting.
Check out the tasting notes here: Conundrum White.
Make this Elegant Instant Pot Dinner
Make this easy meal to share with friends and family. I think a pot of potato soup, elevated with delicious sauteed leeks, is a perfect choice to gather friends. Who wouldn’t enjoy a bowl of warm soup while connecting with friends and family?
So, turn off the TV, dim the lights, and gather your friends and family at a candlelit table. Add your favorite background music for ambiance.
Engage in conversation. Ask each person to contribute a story about their favorite vacation memory or what they think is great that day. Practice gratitude by having everyone say three things they are grateful for right now. What is their high point or low point in the day? Maybe they can share their most interesting discovery or experience of the day.
Serve up some love at your dining table. Don’t take each other or this time together for granted.
Create a special dinner with some easy recipes and reconnect with who and what matters.
Cheers Y’all!
P.S. Please share this post with friends using your favorite social platform. And when you make this soup please comment below!
Instant Pot Leek and Potato Soup
Equipment
- Instant Pot
- Immersion Blender
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 leeks cleaned and thinly sliced white and light green parts
- 1 tsp kosher salt + more for seasoning
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup white wine
- 5 cups vegetable stock
- 5 – 6 cups medium potatoes peeled and diced – Russet or Yukon
- ¾ cup heavy cream or half and half
Toppings
- shredded Cheddar or Parmesan cheese
- bacon
- chives
- sour cream
- Crispy pan fried shallots
- Reserved sauteed leeks, small dice
Instructions
- Using the sauté function, melt the butter in the instant pot. Once melted, add the sliced leeks and salt and sauté until soft. Add the garlic; saute for 30 seconds and turn off the sauté function.
- Remove a small portion of the leeks and set aside for serving.
- Add the thyme, oregano, bay leaves, white wine, broth, and potatoes to the leek mixture in the pot and stir to incorporate. Set the Instant Pot to high pressure for 10 minutes.
- Once complete, quick release and open the pot. Remove the bay leaves, add in the cream and use an immersion or stand blender to puree the soup (see notes).
- Set the instant pot to warm and heat the soup through.
- Ladle into bowls and add toppings.
Notes
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