Smooth Potato Soup with Roasted Garlic (2024)

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By Karen Tedesco — Updated August 28, 2023

5 from 18 community reviews

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This hearty, creamy-textured potato soup recipe is full of flavor, starting with sweet roasted garlic, crisp chunks of roasted potatoes and savory Parmesan cheese. Stir in some sauteed broccoli or chopped spinach and serve as a warming one-bowl meal.

Smooth Potato Soup with Roasted Garlic (1)

A warming bowl of soup is always welcome at the table, and this roasted garlic potato soup is as savory and nourishing as it gets. It’s hands down one of the best delicious soup recipes that will cozy-up your day.

Made without cream or flour, this soup is naturally thick and hearty with a lovely smooth texture, like my other favorite soup, pureed roasted butternut squash soup.

Ingredients in potato soup

Potatoes: Potatoes give this soup gives a satisfying creamy texture without needing to add heavy cream, butter or milk. The best type to use are yellow Yukon gold potatoes, which also make the best roasted potatoes. Baking potato varieties such as russet potatoes have a dryer texture that aren’t great for creamy soup.
Garlic: Let’s talk about garlic — because delicious food wouldn’t be the same without it. The “stinking rose“ not only makes most everything taste better, it’s long been credited for its remarkable healing abilities. This recipe uses a whole head of garlic, not nearly as much as some recipes that call for 50, 80 or 100 cloves (who feels like counting?) but it’s no less a distinct seasoning. Plus, while the garlic is roasting the kitchen smells absolutely amazing. Roasting garlic also tempers the its raw bite, making it mellow and almost sweet.
Leek: This allium pairs well with potatoes. If you don’t have one, substitute with a medium onion or a bunch of chopped green onions.
Cheese: I use freshly grated Parmesan. A good sharp cheddar cheese is a perfect choice to use instead.
Broth: I usually use vegetable broth, but chicken broth is also tasty if you don’t need the soup to be vegetarian.

Smooth Potato Soup with Roasted Garlic (2)

Serving ideas

To enjoy this soup as meal all by itself, garnish the soup with roasted potatoes and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Serve this hearty soup with toasted crusty sourdough bread to savor every drop.

To jazz the soup up even more:

Add a handful of chopped spinach or other greens
Stir in sauteed broccoli or oyster mushrooms
Top with a spoonful of creme fraiche or sour cream and chives
Crumble cooked bacon or crispy prosciutto over the soup

Pro tip for peeling garlic:

Separate unpeeled garlic cloves from the head.
Put them in a bowl and cover with water.
Soak the cloves 15-30 minutes then drain. The skins will loosen and peel away easily.

Smooth Potato Soup with Roasted Garlic

Karen Tedesco

This hearty, creamy-textured potato soup recipe is loaded with sweet roasted garlic, and garnished with chunky roasted potatoes and savory Parmesan cheese. Stir in some sauteed broccoli or chopped spinach and serve as a warming one-bowl meal.

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5 from 18 community reviews

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Course Soup and Stew

Cuisine Vegetarian

Servings 6 servings

Ingredients

▢ 1 head of garlic, separated into cloves and peeled
▢ Extra-virgin olive oil
▢ Kosher salt
▢ 6 cups vegetable broth, or water
▢ 3 pounds yellow potatoes such as Yukon Gold (peeled or unpeeled as you prefer), cut into 1½-inch dice
▢ 1 leek, white and light green parts thinly sliced, or 1 medium onion, chopped
▢ ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
▢ 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
▢ 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Instructions

Roast the garlic and potatoes

Heat the oven to 425 (220 C) degrees.
Put the garlic cloves in a small baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and cover with a piece of foil. Roast until the cloves are soft and golden brown, 20-25 minutes. (The roasted garlic can be prepared up to 5 days ahead. Store in the refrigerator in a covered container).
Put 2 cups of the potatoes on a baking sheet. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and ½ teaspoon salt and toss around to coat. Put them in the oven next to the garlic, and roast until tender, 25-30 minutes.

Make the soup

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the leek and cook until softened. Add the roasted garlic, remaining raw potatoes, 6 cups broth and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes.
Puree the soup with a hand blender or in a regular blender in batches (let it cool 10 minutes before putting in the blender) until smooth. Stir in ¼ cup of the Parmesan cheese and the lemon juice.
To serve, put 4 or 5 roasted potatoes in each serving bowl. Ladle the soup over the potatoes. Sprinkle with additional cheese and the parsley.

Karen’s Notes and Tips

The soup will keep refrigerated 3-4 days, or frozen in small containers up to one month. Cool the soup completely before freezing to avoid ice crystals from forming.
Pro tip for peeling garlic: Separate unpeeled garlic cloves from the head. Put them in a bowl and cover with cold water. Soak the cloves 15-30 minutes, then drain. The skins should loosen and peel away easily.

Nutrition

Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.

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Quick (30 Minutes)
Soup and Stew
Vegetables

Smooth Potato Soup with Roasted Garlic (4)

Hey, I’m Karen

Creator of Familystyle Food

I’m a food obsessed super-taster and professionally trained cook ALL about creating elevated dinners with everyday ingredients. Find simplified recipes made from scratch and enjoy incredibly tasty food! Read more about me here.