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Three bowls of fennel potato soup, one with a soup spoon, beside a small bowl of salt.
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4.92 / 12 votes

Fennel and Potato Soup

A spectacular riff on the classic French potato and leek soup known as vichyssoise, this is astoundingly good. So much so that you may just find yourself raising the bowl to your lips.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: Sides
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 289

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for serving
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 10 ounces fennel bulbs (1 to 2 bulbs), coarsely chopped
  • 1/2 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped
  • 1/2 celery stalk, coarsely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves (10 g), finely chopped
  • Pinch anise seeds (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds (2 g), crushed
  • 7 ounces potatoes, preferably Yukon Gold, peeled and cubed
  • 3 1/3 cups store-bought or homemade vegetable broth, plus more as needed
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
US - Metric

Instructions

  • In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter. Add the fennel, onion, celery, garlic, anise seeds, if using, and fennel seeds and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften, 7 to 9 minutes.
  • Stir in the potatoes and the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and cook until the potatoes begin to brown and stick to the bottom of the pan, about 5 minutes. Slowly pour in the broth, stirring and scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook until the potatoes are softened, 10 to 15 minutes.
  • Stir in the cream, cover, and continue to simmer until the vegetables are completely softened, about 5 minutes more.
  • Using an immersion blender (or using a standard blender and letting the mixture cool and blending it in batches), purée the soup until smooth. Season to taste with salt. If the soup seems too thick, add a little additional broth to thin.
  • Serve the soup hot with a dribble of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and black pepper.

Nutrition

Serving: 1bowl | Calories: 289kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 56mg | Sodium: 834mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g