Potato and leek soup made lighter than classic cream versions while still staying creamy.
Ricotta adds body, and unflavoured whey raises protein without changing the core flavor profile.
Designed as a high-volume, higher-protein soup for meal prep.
- ⏲️ Prep time: ~10 min
- 🍳 Cook time: ~30 min
- 🍽️ Servings: 4 portions (~610 g each)
Ingredients
Soup Base
- 400 g potatoes, peeled and diced
- 2 large leeks (≈300 g cleaned weight), sliced
- 1 medium onion (≈120 g), chopped
- 15 g butter or olive oil
- 1 L vegetable stock (low sodium)
- Salt, to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
Added After Blending
- 400 g frozen peas
- 200 g low-fat ricotta
- 45 g unflavoured whey protein (isolate or concentrate)
- 100 ml cold water (for whey slurry)
Optional (at serving)
- Fat-free Greek yogurt or skyr (1–2 tbsp per portion)
Directions
Soup
- Prepare the vegetables: clean and slice leeks, dice potatoes evenly, chop onion.
- In a large pot over medium heat, melt the butter or heat the oil.
- Add onion and leeks with a pinch of salt and cook gently until soft and translucent (8–10 min). Do not brown.
- Add potatoes and vegetable stock. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce to a simmer.
- Simmer uncovered until potatoes are fully tender (18–22 min).
- Remove from heat. Add cold ricotta and stir until mostly combined.
- Blend until smooth using an immersion blender.
- Add whey and cold water, then blend again briefly until fully smooth.
- Stir in frozen peas.
- For eating now: warm on low heat just until peas thaw and turn bright (2-4 min). Keep under 77C/170F and do not boil.
- For freezing: portion into molds/containers once steam drops, chill promptly, then freeze.
- Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
Portioning & Storage
Per portion (ready to eat):
- ~610 g soup
Storage
- Refrigerator: up to 4 days
- Freezer: up to 2 months
Freeze in individual portions. Reheat gently and stir well.
If cooking to freeze, you can portion right after peas are mixed in and the soup is no longer steaming heavily.
Nutritional Information (Approximate)
(1 portion = ~610 g finished soup)
| Nutrient | Per portion | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | ~371 kcal | ~61 kcal |
| Protein | ~24 g | ~4.0 g |
| Total carbohydrates | ~51 g | ~8.4 g |
| Sugars | ~12 g | ~2.0 g |
| Fat | ~8.5 g | ~1.4 g |
| Saturated fat | ~5.0 g | ~0.8 g |
| Fibre | ~9.1 g | ~1.5 g |
| Sodium | ~854 mg | ~140 mg |
Sodium assumption: based on low-sodium stock (~590 mg sodium per 1 L) and ~1 tsp salt added to the full batch.
Conversion used: 1 tsp salt ≈ 2,360 mg sodium.
Approximate yield used for calculations: ~2.45 kg finished soup. Calculated using the butter option in the ingredient list.
Notes
- Peas are added after blending to preserve colour, texture, and sweetness.
- Keep heat low after adding whey; boiling can make texture grainy.
- Blending or shaking whey with warm soup first is easier and helps prevent clumps.
- Turning heat off before ricotta + whey additions makes texture more stable and is easier to manage.
- Keep whey around 10-12 g per portion for best texture; higher amounts can become chalky.
- If using salted whey or stock concentrate, reduce added salt and adjust at the end.
- Thickness increases as the soup cools; loosen with hot water when reheating.
- Reference recipe inspiration: https://based.cooking/potato-leek-soup/