This popular cheese and leek soup with ground meat is delicious comfort food that everybody loves. Let me show you how fast you can make this tasty German soul food.
The crowd pleaser soup is very easy to make and is a filling main course at any time of the year but especially in the colder seasons.
How is this creamy, cheesy soup with leek and ground beef called in German?
The low carb soup is called either "Lauch-Hackfleisch-Suppe" in German speaking countries.
What is the German word for soup?
Soup is called "Suppe" in Germany.
How to pronounce "Suppe" in German?
Listen to this audio file to hear how to say "Suppe" in German.
How to make German Leek & Beef Soup Video Tutorial
Ingredients
Leek: You can find fresh leek stalks in almost every supermarket. Most commonly it is located where the fresh herbs and cabbage is. Sometime leek has dirt between the leaves. In this case cut the stalk half way lengthwise and rinse it under running water. If it is not visible dirty you can cut it into slices and rinse them well in a strainer.
Ground Meat: I used lean 93/7 ground beef in this recipe but German recipes often call for ground pork. Alternatively you can also use other ground meats like bison, turkey or chicken.
Shredded Cheese: I personally like to use a blend of cheddar and Swiss cheese, but you could also conveniently grab just a bag of a Mexican cheese blend.
Onions: I did not chop the onion very finely as it will cook down anyways. But if you prefer you can cut the onion finely, but I would not recommend exchanging the fresh onion for onion powder as it will alter the taste of the soup.
Cream: The recipe calls for sour cream and heavy whipping cream. If you prefer a leaner version of this hearty soup you could omit the sour cream but I would not leave out the heavy whipping cream as this will add some important flavor and silkiness to the soup.
If you never tried leek, you are not the only one…
If you never heard of leek you are not alone. The first time I wanted to make this soup in the US the checker asked her to colleague what the name of vegetable to find in her code list, the colleague only shrugged and asked another co-worker. But this lady also did not know how it was called. The three looked at me for an answer, but I did not know the English word for Lauch as it is called in German. We all had a good laugh and quickly checked the phone for the translation. Luckily there were not many people in the shop, so nobody got held up.
Authentic German Cream Ground Beef and Leek Soup Recipe
Recipe
Creamy, Cheesy Leek & Ground Beef Soup
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground lean beef
- 4 stalks of leek
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 large onion
- 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 1 cup sour cream
- ½ cup heavy whipping
- 1 cups shredded cheese
- 6 cups vegetable or beef broth
- Salt and pepper
- 1 pinch ground nutmeg
- 1 pinch ground paprika powder
Instructions
- Clean leek and cut into fine rings.
- Chop the onion and the garlic.
- In a large pot heat oil over medium heat and fry onions until translucent.
- Place the ground meat into the pot and brown.
- Stir in the garlic and season with salt and pepper.
- Add the leak and broth and mix well.
- Cover with the lid and simmer on medium-low for about 10 minutes.
- Add shredded cheese and cream cheese and stir until everything is well combined.
- Stir in sour cream and heavy cream and bring to a brief boil.
- Season with a pinch of nutmeg and paprika powder.
- Serve with a slice of bread or a roll.
Notes
Nutrition
Serving Tips?
You can alter the taste of this soup by using different types of cheese. If you prefer a more rustic, intense aroma add some Gruyere or Bergkäse. If you prefer a milder and even creamier version try some melting cheese like Laughing cow.
Join the Conversation