• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Westway Studio | San Diego’s most adventurous & colorful pet portraits and commercial brand photography

Commercial brand pet photography and rustic-luxury family pet portraits with one-of-a-kind experiences

  • Howdy
  • Blog
  • Family Pet Photography
    • Portfolio
    • Session Details & Rates
    • High Regards
  • Commercial Pet Photography
    • Project Portfolio
    • Photo + Video Dream Team
    • Your Brand Story
    • Commercial Rates
    • Top Mistakes to Avoid
  • Education for Photographers
  • Contact

April 21, 2020 by Terran Leave a Comment

Family Time: Homemade Vegan Potato Leek Soup

One of Westway’s founding principles is to cherish the people we love and all the time we get to spend in their company. I absolutely love cooking for my family. If I can bring comfort or a little bit of yummy happiness to the people I care about most, I feel like I accomplished something good.

I wanted to share one of my favorite, most comforting, delicious — and super easy — recipes with you: potato leek soup. It’s quick, simple, endlessly customizable, and is perfect for a cozy day at home. It’s also vegan but you’d never know it!

You Need

3 leeks
1 onion
6-ish potatoes
1 box of vegetable broth
Olive oil
Seasoned salt (or regular salt)
Pepper

Optional Toppings:
Corn
Green Onions/Scallions
Red Peppers
Poblano Peppers
Jalapeño Peppers
Sour Cream
Shredded Cheese
Ham or Bacon
or whatever else you can dream up!

Chop your onion

Nothing crazy or specific. Just chop it in a way that’s easy to sauté.
 

Chop your leeks

Leeks are delicious but dirty. Rinse them off, slice them down the center (see above) and rinse them again. Then just chop, chop, chop until you get to the thicker green tops. Those you’ll discard — or figure out something else to do with them. I’m not a professional chef; don’t ask me.
  

Rinse your leeks

Really, really rinse ’em. We’re not aiming for dirt soup here, people.
 

Chop your ‘taters

I like to cut them fairly small so I can fit more into the pot. I like potatoes. If you’re making this soup, I’m guessing you do, too. 
 

Get your broth ready

You’ll probably only need one box but I like to have more just in case. If you want to make the soup vegan or vegetarian, opt for the vegetable broth. If you don’t care, you can make it with chicken broth or water plus a bouillon cube. I prefer the taste of the veggie broth but, hey, you might like something else. This is about bringing a little yummy joy into your life, not being strict with the recipe.
 

Time to start cooking!

I like using the Instant Pot (don’t tell Greg; I gave him a hard time for buying it) because it cooks quickly and I can eat sooner. If you want to make this in a crock pot, you can — it’ll just take about 4 hours to cook and you’ll want to do the next few sautéing steps in a really big pan on the stove. If you’re using the Instant Pot, pop that sucker on sauté and add your olive oil to get it hot.
 

Add your onion

When the oil is hot, toss in your onion. If you’re cooking in the Instant Pot, you’re going to want to stir pretty constantly so nothing burns. If you are using a pot on the stove, low and slow, my friends… low and slow.
 

Salt & Peppa

We’re going to want to season our ingredients all along the way. I like seasoned salt. Maybe you like regular salt. Do your thing but definitely add a good dose of it + black pepper. Or whatever kind of pepper you like! 
 

Mmm…

Cook your onions ’till they’re soft and golden. Most recipes will tell you this takes 3 minutes. I’m here to tell you they’re all lying. On high in the Instant Pot, I want to say this took like 10 minutes with pretty constant stirring. Burning your onions would not be good. On the stove, low and slow, this is probably more of a 20-minute process.

Secret tip: when your onions are getting soft and you see all those little brown bits forming on the bottom of the pan or Instant Pot, pour in just a teensy bit of water to deglaze it. Those little brown bits all come up and go back on the onions where they belong.
 

Toss in your leeks & sauté

Toss them in and cook ’em down. You don’t want to throw them in at the beginning with the onions because they’re much more delicate and would cook a lot faster. When they’re looking soft and delicious, move on to the next step…
 

Potato time!

Add those beautiful potatoes, stir everything around so it’s all mixed together, and cover it all with broth. If you run out of room in your pot but have potatoes left over, cook the rest in a pot on the stove and add them later. I usually have leftover potatoes because, as I mentioned earlier, I really like potatoes. If you’re using the crockpot, this is when your onions, leeks, potatoes, and broth would all come together. 
 

Set it & forget it

OK, I know that’s the catchphrase to a totally different cooking product but it’s what you need to do. If you’re using the Instant Pot, set it on Soup/Broth. If you’re using a crockpot, stick it on low for 4 hours. 
 

Open it up…

This is what everything should look like when you open the top. Delicious.
 

And Mash!

Use your potato masher and smash everything together. It’s gonna be awesome. If you want a creamy texture, use an immersion blender. I like it a little more rustic. Add more seasoned salt and pepper to taste. 
 

Enjoy!

I like to add a little fresh black pepper and some toppings (ideas were at the top). The soup is great on its own or with some ooey-gooey cheesy bread. 


What do you think? Did you try the recipe? Leave a comment below!
 

Filed Under: field notes

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Home » Family Time: Homemade Vegan Potato Leek Soup

Follow our wild, wild Westway adventures as we travel the U.S. in our Airstream

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Footer

Contact

Based in San Diego, CA
Traveling the U.S. in 2022
(858) 848-9378
Email Me

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
Hi there! In the age of social media, we all scrol Hi there! In the age of social media, we all scroll... a lot. Since we've had a bunch of new followers lately, I wanted to take a moment to say hi, introduce myself, and get to know you a little!​​​​​​​​
​​​​​​​​
I'm Terran, the Crazy Dog Mom behind Westway Studio. My hubby, senior pup, and I live in San Diego for six months of the year and travel the US in our Airstream for the other six. We love being on the road, meeting new people, seeing new places, eating new foods, and experiencing this beautiful country we call home.​​​​​​​​
​​​​​​​​
I'd love if you would share a little something about you and your pets with me — like where you're from, your animal companion's favorite vacation destination, a silly story, or anything else! :)
It's your last chance to apply for our upcoming We It's your last chance to apply for our upcoming West Paw photo shoot! The casting call closes this afternoon! Don't miss out - photo shoots are TONS of fun for people and pets! Link in bio or https://www.westpaw.com/pages/model-call
*Knocks on door* Hello! Can your dog come out to p *Knocks on door* Hello! Can your dog come out to play?​​​​​​​​
​​​​​​​​
We're holding an open casting model call for our next playtime-filled shoot with West Paw! Apply at the link in my bio or https://www.westpaw.com/pages/model-call. Let's have some FUN!
Who LOVES treats? 🙋‍♀️ We're holding an o Who LOVES treats? 🙋‍♀️ We're holding an open casting model call for our next shoot with West Paw that'll be all about — you guessed it — TREATS! Apply through the link in my bio or at https://www.westpaw.com/pages/model-call
YahoOOoOooOoo!!! We are planning our next photo sh YahoOOoOooOoo!!! We are planning our next photo shoot with West Paw at the end of January! We're looking for dogs + their people to participate. Dogs should be well-trained and love treat toys! We are looking for pups of all breeds, mixes, and ages. Link in bio to apply or https://www.westpaw.com/pages/model-call​​​​​​​​​
#westwaypets #westwaystudio #opencasting #modelcall #dogmodel @westpawus
Sorry, boss, I'm gonna be late today... or I might Sorry, boss, I'm gonna be late today... or I might not make it in at all... it's National Cuddle Day, which means I can't move 'til my four-legged best friend does. 🤷‍♀️ Does your animal companion love to cuddle or is it more of an exercise in futility?
Hello. It's Wednesday. The holidays are over. Whic Hello. It's Wednesday. The holidays are over. Which way is up? Do you have any treats?
Mid-session puppy kisses always make for the silli Mid-session puppy kisses always make for the silliest and sweetest photos! Do your pups give you kisses, too?
Happy New Year, friends! What are you most looking Happy New Year, friends! What are you most looking forward to this year?​​​​​​​​
​​​​​​​​
Two things I'm really excited for are (1) getting back out on the open road in the Airstream and (2) teaching at the Shutterhound Conference in September alongside some of the world's greatest pet photographers. Seriously, the speaker lineup is i-n-c-r-e-d-I-b-l-e! Pinch me, I must be dreaming! (Sign up with crazy-special pricing through 11:59pm Eastern time tonight!!!)
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Recent Posts

  • 3 Images Every Pet Brand Photoshoot Should Include
  • The Positive Impact of Simplicity in Your Imagery
  • Pro Tips: 3 Ways to Cut Costs On Commercial Pet Business Photography (and 3 Areas to Never Skimp On)
  • Getting the hang of things: 3 months of full-time RV Living
  • Why every brand needs product AND lifestyle imagery

All images and written content on this site are Copyright © 2010-2023 Westway Studio.
Nothing on this site may be copied, screenshot, downloaded, or used without the written permission of Westway Studio.

  • Howdy
  • Blog
  • Family Pet Photography
  • Commercial Pet Photography
  • For Photographers
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
GIT ALONG LI'L DOGGIES
Follow my adventures with dogs, travel, and ranch life in the Wild, Wild Westway