Pórková polévka – Czech Leek Potato Soup

Let's cook a leek potato soup, and let's do it right according to the Czech recipe! The soup is easy to make and tastes absolutely delicious. The addition of pressed garlic and dried marjoram makes it so comforting.

About This Leek Soup

This soup uses fresh leeks and potatoes as the main ingredients. The soup is thickened with a roux composed of flour and butter. In the end, its final flavor is provided by crushed garlic and dried marjoram.

The leek soup is served with bread croutons sprinkled into the soup when serving.

The recipe's origin is Czech; in the Czech language, this soup is called "pórková polévka".

TIP: Browse a special category for more Czech soups!

How to Clean a Leek

Before you start preparing the soup, it is essential to clean the leeks thoroughly. Here I describe the whole process in a few steps:

1. Cut off a small piece of the white part with the roots, and the wilted part of the green stem. If necessary, peel off the damaged first green layer.
2. Cut the stem lengthwise, about halfway down the leek.
3. Using your fingers, dismantle leek into individual leaves and rinse them thoroughly, carefully, and really from all sides. In the folds of the leaves and their layers, there are often residues of dirt and stones that you would not get rid of except in this way.

Only now is the leek ready to be made into a tasty soup.

My tip: Try another great vegetable soup: Cauliflower soup (Czech Květáková polévka)

Ingredients

• Leeks; be aware that the leeks will need to be cleaned thoroughly first, as there is residual soil and other dirt under the layers
• Potatoes; any all-purpose potatoes will work, e.g. the Gold Yukon variety in the USA
• All-purpose flour; to thicken the soup
• Unsalted butter; on which we shortly sauté leeks; further the butter serves as a base for the roux
• Garlic; freshly pressed garlic adds flavor to the soup
• Dried marjoram; a typical Czech spice for seasoning soups, you can also use fresh marjoram
• Salt
• Water; if you want a more flavored taste, add vegetable broth to the leek soup instead of water

✅ You’ll find the exact amount of ingredients below in the recipe card, which you can also print out.

Instructions with Photos

STEP 1: Clean the leek: Cut off the white end of the leek with the roots, and slice off the faded green part on the other side. Cut the leeks lengthwise, about halfway down. Take the leaves apart and wash them thoroughly under running water.

STEP 2: Cut the cleaned leeks into roughly ¼-1/2inch sized pieces. Peel the potatoes and cut them into smaller, about ½inch cubes.

STEP 3: In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the chopped leeks, add a little salt and stir until the leeks are tender. It takes 3-5 minutes.

STEP 4: Sprinkle in the flour and fry for another minute while stirring to form the base for the roux, which will thicken the leek soup.

STEP 5: Add a scoop or two of water and stir to dissolve any lumps.

STEP 6: Now, pour in the rest of the water, carefully put in the chopped potatoes. Salt, bring to a boil.

STEP 7: Turn the heat down to a minimum, cover the pot with a lid. Let it boil gently for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. Stir occasionally; the flour tends to sink to the bottom of the pot, where it could start to scorch.

STEP 8: In the end, season the soup with crushed or pressed garlic and dried marjoram, which you have first rubbed between your fingers.

STEP 9: Add more salt if necessary. Stir well, and the soup is complete!

Serving

Serve this soup warm, garnish with a handful of bread croutons on the plate. Add the croutons just before you start eating the soup; otherwise, the croutons will get soggy.

Cook's Tips

• Here is a short description of how to make homemade bread croutons: Cut the white roll bread (Czech rohlík or housky), or rye bread into ½inch cubes and dry them in an oven heated to 300 °F (150 °C) degrees. Feel free to use a hot air oven. Stir them now and then to make them go faster.
• Stored in the fridge, the leek soup lasts up to 3 days.
• You don't have to puree the soup with an immersion blender at the end, it is thickened with a bit of roux. The soup is just thick enough; it is not watery, the texture is made up of leek and potato pieces.

🥣 More Czech soups:

• Goulash soup – gulášová polévka
• Lentil soup – čočková polévka
• Kulajda – mushroom & dill soup
• Caraway soup – kmínová polévka