Creamy Roasted Garlic Irish Potato Soup

A thick, creamy traditional Irish potato soup, flavoured with onions, leeks and roasted garlic. 
Make this Creamy Roasted Garlic Irish Potato Soup in less than an hour on the stove top.  It's a warm and comforting velvety soup with the mellow, buttery flavour of roasted garlic. Irish Pub food at its best!

I adapted this recipe from one I found in an Irish Pub cookbook I picked up years ago in San Francisco. We ate in the pub twice and had a hard time choosing from the menu, because everything sounded so good. On the way out, I knew I wanted to try to recreate some of the dishes at home, so I bought the book and tucked it in my suitcase. This Roasted Garlic Irish Potato Soup is my version of one of the recipes.

I like making soup. I know it's easy to buy it pre-made in a store, but I like being able to control the ingredients and know exactly what is in it. I've made soup in a slow cooker, like this Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Turmeric Soup and in an Instant Pot, like this Instant Pot Potato Leek Soup with Bacon. Today, however,  I decided to make a traditional Irish soup with a traditional method:  in a pot on the stove top.

The best part of this soup is the one part you have do to ahead of time:  roast the garlic. You can buy roasted garlic paste, but roasting your own is ridiculously simple.

How to Roast Garlic

Use a sharp, serrated knife to slice about half an inch from the top of a head of garlic. Remove as much of the papery bits from the outside as you can and discard. Place the head on a small square of aluminum foil and drizzle with olive oil, making sure it seeps in between the cloves. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Bring up the four corners of the foil and wrap tightly around the head. Roast at 375°F for 40 - 60 minutes or until garlic is very soft. Unwrap, let it cool, then turn it upside down and squeeze out the soft cloves. Mash with a fork or purée into a paste in a food processor.

Then, to make this Roasted Garlic Irish Potato Soup--

it's simply a matter of sautéing onions and leeks, adding broth, potatoes and garlic and simmering until the potatoes are soft. Purée in batches in a food processor, or use an immersion blender to make that natural creamy texture. Stir in a little light cream, some parsley to temper the garlic, a generous sprinkle of smoked salt, garnish and serve!

Need more ideas for ways to garnish your soup and take it from good to great? Check this post for 20 Healthy Soup Topping Ideas!

And check out all my other healthy homemade soup recipes.

📖 Recipe

Creamy Roasted Garlic Irish Potato Soup

A thick, creamy traditional Irish potato soup, flavoured with onions, leeks and roasted garlic. Make this Creamy Roasted Garlic Irish Potato Soup in less than an hour on the stove top. Warm and comforting!

Print Pin Rate

Course: Soups and Chowders

Cuisine: Irish, Canadian, American

Diet: Gluten Free

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 cups

Calories: 208kcal

Author: Elaine

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Ingredients

• ▢ ½ cup roasted garlic purée* see notes below
• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
• ▢ 1 medium white onion peeled and thinly sliced
• ▢ 2 medium leeks white part only, well washed and thinly sliced
• ▢ 4 large russet potatoes peeled and thinly sliced
• ▢ 4 cups chicken bone broth, or chicken broth
• ▢ 1 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• ▢ ½ cup light cream
• ▢ salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• ▢ 1 teaspoon smoked salt, or more, depending on taste

Instructions

• Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pot. Sauté onion and leeks until transparent, about 5 minutes.   
• Add chicken broth, potatoes, garlic purée and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer for 25 minutes, or until potatoes are very soft.
• Remove from heat and purée in a blender in batches. Stir in cream, smoked salt to taste, and fresh parsley, remembering to save a little to garnish.
•  Serve in warm bowls, garnished with a drizzle of cream and fresh parsley.

Notes

Making your own roasted garlic purée is very simple. Heat oven to 375°F. Slice ½ inch off the tops of 4 garlic bulbs. Place in a small roasting dish. Drizzle ¼ to ½ cup olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Cover with a lid or wrap with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from oven, allow to cool, then take each bulb and squeeze out the cloves into a food processor. Discard remaining skin. Process until smooth, season with salt and pepper, transfer to a small jar and refrigerate until needed.

Nutrition

Calories: 208kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 772mg | Potassium: 906mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 710IU | Vitamin C: 24.2mg | Calcium: 63mg | Iron: 2.4mg

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