Leek Soup with Feta, Dill, and Paprika

My summer soups are usually served cold and devoid of cream. This leek soup, with its handful of dill and salty crumbled feta, felt like a summer soup. I’m just as certain that this soup could be enjoyed any season.

When I read the ingredient list, I wasn’t sure about the need for sugar. I used it and am still unsure of its need. However, it didn’t make the soup overly sweet despite being added to sweet onion and leeks.

Overall, the flavors were both bold and mellow. The paprika offered a bit of color which, with the feta, was welcomed on a green cream-based soup. We enjoyed this leek soup with feta, dill, and paprika with crusty bread and a glass of rosé. Each bowl received a seal of approval.

This leek soup with feta, dill, and paprika comes together quite easily and without any fuss, yet has all the sophistication of a vichyssoise (yes, I had to try it both hot and chilled). The contrast of the velvety creaminess (thank you cream + a Vitamix) with slight sweetness goes perfectly with the tang of a good feta. A pretty bowl of green soup has a strange attraction and I cannot resist.

First, I had to make a swap. Dill just doesn’t have a fan club in our house, though adjacent flavors like fennel, anise, and chervil seem to be well accepted. The whole incentive to make this soup was when a farm stand visit sent us home with beautiful tender fennel full of huge feathery fronds. That inspired making the soup with the fennel fronds in place of the dill, which cooked beautifully, though they may be a tad sweeter. Next time I’d omit the sugar. I had some very fresh, very nice Greek feta on hand, and it had all the tangy brightness I hoped for.

First, I served this with sweet paprika (thinking smoked paprika would be too dominant, even in sparse amounts), but, after trying it that way, I wanted something with more distinction. I found that half-sharp Hungarian had heat, but I wanted something that also had a fruitiness, and finally turned to Aleppo. Best might be Marash (also called Turkish Paprika), which is very similar to Aleppo. Play with your choice of paprika, as even a small sprinkle needs to do more than provide color–for me, I wanted the fruitiness as well.

Serve hot with the feta and a sprinkling of the paprika or pepper of your choice, (save a few of the finest for the top). Surprisingly, the same serving worked chilled (yay! with more feta for me please). I also had to try the idea of a bit of quickly sautéed shrimp as a garnish too. All three versions were lovely. Small portions would be great for a party, served in small glasses or demitasse, and as a Vichyssoise-adjacent soup, is the perfect make-ahead entertaining recipe.

Tips:
1. Remember you’re just sweating the leeks and onion—not browning.
2. When it’s time to add the butter, slice or shave it a bit thin so it doesn’t just sink into the soup before melting.
3. Fork crumble the feta–it only takes a moment and ensures you have creamy irregular bits of various sizes, so the smallest melt and the larger bits hold their shape and flavor (pre-crumbled feta is often dry).

Simple ingredients, easy to prepare and fantastically delicious! I love leeks. I love leeks with cream. I love leeks with cream and feta…and dill. I simply love this soup and it is just as good a few days later for leftovers on hot summer nights when the last thing you want to do is heat up your kitchen. I’d even go as far to suggest you could eat this leek soup with feta, dill and paprika cold à la gazpacho style, it is refreshing and light yet flavorful.