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Recipe

A Bite To Eat With Alice: Hot potato and leek soup

Prep time: 
10
Cook time: 
60
Skill level: 
Low
Serves: 
4
A bowl of creamy potato and leek soup topped with golden croutons and fresh thyme.

A warm, velvety bowl of potato and leek soup — simple, hearty and packed with flavour. (ABC TV: Wesley Mitton)

Alice Zaslavsky is the host of A Bite To Eat with Alice, weeknights at 5pm on ABC TV and anytime on ABC iview. Alice is the resident culinary correspondent for ABC News Breakfast and ABC Radio, a food literacy advocate, bestselling cookbook author, and creator of Phenomenom, a free digital toolbox helping teachers slip more serves of veg into the curriculum.

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Hot potato, hot potato! This creamy, comforting potato and leek soup is a Wiggles-worthy winner! Made for none other than the Purple Wiggle himself, John Pearce.

Ingredients for a hearty potato and leek soup, featuring russet potatoes, a whole leek, garlic cloves, bay leaves.

Simple ingredients, big flavour — this potato and leek soup is the ultimate winter comfort in a bowl. (ABC TV: Wesley Mitton)

This dish is smooth, hearty, and packed with flavour — just like the hit song. With soft, mellow leeks, velvety potatoes and golden croutons for a bit of crunch, it's a cosy bowl of warmth that'll have you singing out for seconds. 

Chopped potatoes and sliced leeks sautéing in a pink Dutch oven.

The perfect start to a hearty soup — sautéing leeks and potatoes brings out their natural sweetness for a rich and comforting bowl of goodness (ABC TV: Wesley Mitton)

Whether you're wiggling through a chilly day, or just need a hug in a bowl, this soup is ready to hit all the right notes!

Leeks, potatoes, and bay leaves simmering in vegetable stock in a pink Dutch oven.

Slow simmering brings out the best in these simple ingredients — rich, velvety and packed with flavour. (ABC TV: Wesley Mitton)

Tips

  • Use starchy potatoes: Varieties like russet or sebago break down beautifully and create a creamier texture.
  • Wash your leeks well: They often hide grit between layers, so slice and rinse thoroughly.
  • Don't skip the sauté: Softening the leek, garlic and herbs in oil builds a rich, aromatic base for the soup.
  • Keep it rustic: Pulse or mash the soup, just enough to break down the potato but keep some texture.
  • Stale bread is best: Slightly old ciabatta makes the crispiest croutons and reduces food waste.
  • Season at the end: Salt intensifies as it cooks, so always check seasoning right before serving.

Here’s the full list of recipes from Season 2 of A Bite To Eat With Alice.

This recipe appears in A Bite to Eat with Alice, a new nightly cooking show on ABC iview and weeknights at 5pm on ABC TV.

A Bite To Eat With Alice: Hot potato and leek soup

Prep time: 
10
Cook time: 
60
Skill level: 
Low
Serves: 
4

Ingredients

For the soup

  • 80ml extra virgin olive oil (plus extra for finishing) 
  • 1 large leek, trimmed, ends removed (reserve for stock), roughly sliced and washed 
  • 2 large potatoes (use a starchy one like a russet), washed and roughly chopped 
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped 
  • 2 bay leaves 
  • 1 tablespoon freshly picked fresh thyme, finely chopped (plus extra for garnish) 
  • 1.2 litres vegetable stock or water 
  • ¼ loaf of ciabatta (stale is good!) 
  • Salt flakes, to season 
  • Freshly-ground black pepper, to season 
  • Grated parmesan (optional but excellent), to serve 

Method

  1. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over a medium heat, add the leeks and sauté while stirring with a wooden spoon for a couple of minutes, before adding the potatoes, garlic, bay leaves and thyme. Continue to sauté until the leek softens, then add the stock or water, bring to the boil, and reduce to a simmer, continuing to cook until the potato is soft and cooked. This should take about 30—40 minutes. 
  2. While the soup is cooking, preheat the oven to 180°C and tear your bread into pieces. When the oven is at temperature, place the roughly torn bread onto a lined baking tray, drizzle with the rest of the olive oil and a good pinch of salt and cook until the bread is golden and crisp (around 15—20 minutes, depending on how big your torn pieces are). Remove and allow to cool. 
  3. Once the soup is cooked, remove the bay leaves and pop the soup into a food processor, or use a stick blender, pulsing a few times. We are looking for some chunky pieces of potato in there but the majority of the potato to be broken down. If the soup is too thick you can add a little more stock to loosen it. If you do not have the luxury of owning a food processor, take a whisk and push it down into the soup to break down the potato.  
  4. Season well with salt and pepper and serve with the croutons, picked thyme leaves, parmesan (if using) and a splash of extra virgin olive oil. 
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